Clifton Cornerstone, designed by Nottingham-based architects CPMG for public private partnership Greater Nottingham Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) Company, was commended by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors at the regional RICS Awards last Friday (11 May).

CPMG entered Clifton Cornerstone into the community benefit category. The judges looked for projects that have made a difference - buildings that truly benefit the community that uses it.

RICS Operations Director for the East, David Potter said: “Every year we see a tremendous variety of entries and the judges have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the winners. The Awards highlight how property professionals with inspirational schemes, large and small, can transform our lives, our communities and our environment.”

Completed in 2006, the £8.8m Clifton Cornerstone is the first of three multi-million point joint access centers across Nottingham City. The three-storey facility serves approximately 25,000 residents of the Clifton estate and beyond. It houses a variety of public sector services, providing a single point of access to health, social care, housing, council services and community information all under one roof in the heart of the Clifton estate. It forms part of a wider strategy public sector strategy to modernise facilities and improve customer service and access to information and services within the community.

The centre has helped regenerate the area, providing a focus for local residents. It was designed to encourage access for the whole community, providing a safe environment for visitors using the public services.

One Clifton resident commented: “I have been in Clifton since 1955 and think it is brilliant that Clifton has finally got something that caters for everyone.. Plenty of room and plenty of seating.”

CPMG Architects Director Jack Gant said: “We’re very proud to have been involved with the Clifton Cornerstone project and we are delighted that the building has been recognised by the RICS in this way. People in Clifton now have the benefit of a first class primary care community facility which is on a par with anything available elsewhere in the UK.”

Greater Nottingham LIFT Company’s Chief Executive Lee Clayton said: “We’re delighted Clifton Cornerstone has been recognised regionally by the RICS. It is a real state-of-the-art landmark building for the area which will benefit the people of Clifton for generations to come.”

Clifton Cornerstone was developed by the Greater Nottingham Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) Company, a 25 year public private partnership that is owned by private sector partner Primary Plus (a joint venture company set up by John Laing and Bank of Scotland Corporate) , two local primary care trusts (Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County), Nottingham City Council and the Department of Health’s Partnerships for Health.

CPMG Architects has worked with the Greater Nottingham LIFT Company on the successfully completed health and social care centres in Carlton, Stapleford and Keyworth. The team are now working together on the second phase of the Mary Potter Centre in Hyson Green. This £14.5m joint access centre is due to be completed next year.