Gloucester Services is a motorway services area between junctions 12 and 11a on the M5. It is unique in combining the local/farm/family model of Tebay services in the Lake District with a social/charitable/community dimension represented by Gloucestershire Gateway Trust. It is Tebay with a twist.
Gloucestershire Gateway Trust is based in the Matson area of Gloucester—one of the poorest areas in Gloucestershire and in the top five percent of most disadvantaged communities in the country. Chief Executive Mark Gale came up with the revolutionary idea of building a motorway services on the M5 immediately adjacent to Matson as a means of providing income, training and employment for local people and communities.
The project was the subject of a fascinating and well-attended Civic Society meeting on Thursday 22 January. A full report of the meeting can be found here.
At the meeting its was suggested that Stroud Civic Society should nominate the project for the first Civic Voice National Design Award. The full text of our submission is available here (pdf file opening in a new window).
The Civic Voice National Design Awards are unique in that they are a national celebration of good design and conservation projects nominated by local community organisations. To be successful, projects
have to make a significant contribution to the quality of life in our villages, towns and cities. Nominated by local people they are awards supported by local communities across the country. They are not the usual industry awards where professional give awards to other professionals.
The awards and commendations will be presented by Civic Voice President Griff Rhys Jones on Friday July 17th at Central Hall Westminster. Awards and commendations will be given for
- New buildings
- Historic buildings that have been reused or refurbished
- Public realm schemes such as street works, conservation area improvements, parks, improvements and enhancements of the civic realm.
The judging panel comprised:
Max Farrell (Chair) (Terry Farrell and Partners)
Rob Cowan (Urban Design Skills)
Sophia de Sousa (The Glass-House Community Led Design)
Tracy Meller ( Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners)
Roger Sutton (Civic Voice Trustee and Board Member)
Some more pictures
Clicking a picture will enlarge it and enable you to view all as a slideshow.
The 2015 short-list in context
To see other short-listed entries from around the country do have a look at the map below, taken from the Civic Voice website. Click on each flagged location to find out about each site.
- Red – Historic Buildings Category
- Yellow – New Buildings Category
- Blue – Public Realm Category