Hertfordshire Healthy and Safe Places Framework Recognised at RTPI East of England Awards for Planning Excellence 2026

Hertfordshire’s pioneering Healthy and Safe Places Framework has been recognised with a Commended award in the Best Project category at the RTPI East of England Awards for Planning Excellence 2026. 

Emerging from the Hertfordshire Growth Board’s Healthy & Safe Places Mission, and developed in collaboration with Prior + Partners, local government, Public Health, the Police and Crime Commissioner, the voluntary sector and NHS partners, the framework sets out a unified, evidence-based approach to embedding health, wellbeing and safety into spatial planning and development across the county. 

Nominated by Hertfordshire County Council, the Framework was shortlisted in the Wellbeing and Education sub-category and is the first countywide model in the UK to systematically embed health considerations in spatial planning and development decision-making. 

Designed to help tackle inequalities and create healthier, safer communities, the Framework provides a robust, evidence-based approach that supports more consistent and higher-quality development across Hertfordshire’s 11 planning authorities. By combining universal healthy place-making principles with targeted local interventions, including the identification of Health Action Areas, it provides an innovative model for responding to the complex factors that influence health outcomes. 

Welcoming the recognition, Sarah Perman, Director of Public Health, Hertfordshire County Council, said: “This is fantastic news and a testament to the high quality of the work that went into the Healthy and Safe Places Framework. The project reflects the commitment, expertise and collaboration of partners across Hertfordshire who share a common ambition to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities through the places we create. Well done to everyone involved.” 

Commenting on the award, Shaun Andrews MRTPI, Director of UK Planning Strategy, Prior + Partners, said: “Prior + Partners is privileged to have supported Hertfordshire Growth Board in developing this groundbreaking Framework. Working with such committed and collaborative partners has been a genuine pleasure, and this commendation reflects the dedication of everyone involved. The Healthy & Safe Places Framework demonstrates what can be achieved when planners, public health professionals and other partners come together with a shared commitment to creating healthier places and communities.” 

The RTPI judges praised the Framework’s ambition, innovation and practical application, describing it as: “An exemplary approach to embedding health systematically within spatial planning in the County.” 

They further highlighted its role in addressing Hertfordshire’s significant health inequalities, noting: “It demonstrates a clear and compelling response to a complex, place-based challenge.” 

Judges also recognised the strength of the Framework’s evidence base, its alignment with national planning policy and its ability to bring together organisations through a shared evidence base and common language. Praise was given to its combination of countywide consistency and place-specific interventions, ensuring policy responses are grounded in local realities. 

Early delivery through the Welwyn Hatfield pilot has demonstrated promising results, validating the Framework’s healthy and safe place-making principles and showing that the model is both practical and implementable. 

Matt Wilson, Assistant Director of Planning at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, said: “The Healthy and Safe Places Framework is already proving helpful in shaping our emerging Local Plan work.  It provides a clear, evidence-based approach which is helping to ensure that health and wellbeing are considered at an early stage in plan-making. Our experience through the Welwyn Hatfield Local Plan demonstrates how the Framework can support more informed policy development and decision-making, placing health more firmly at the heart of planning.” 

The judges also highlighted the Framework’s wider significance and potential for replication, describing it as a “living Framework” that enables tailored responses to local challenges and could help shape future planning practice beyond Hertfordshire. 

This recognition reinforces Hertfordshire’s position at the forefront of healthy place-making and demonstrates how collaborative, evidence-led planning can support sustainable growth while improving outcomes for residents and communities.