Award celebrates regeneration excellence

Date published: 24/04/2006

Dave Davison served the borough of Rochdale for many years in the field of regeneration and planning and was recognised throughout Rochdale Council for his excellent contribution.

Sadly, Dave died shortly after his retirement. His widow, Kath, has proposed that a Memorial Award for Regeneration be presented, funded from Dave's Long Service Award, as a way of remembering his contribution to the Council and Rochdale Development Agency (RDA) in the fields of regeneration and planning.

The award will be open to those within the Council or RDA who demonstrate similar excellent practice in regeneration and planning. It will recognise individual or team merit in the development of a specific regeneration or planning project, and will be presented each year. This award celebrates Dave's contribution to the borough of Rochdale.

Executive Director Andy Zuntz said, "The award is a way of remembering Dave Davison's immense contribution to projects that have enhanced the life and environment of the borough."

Dave Davison retired following 36 years of public sector service. He had worked for Manchester City Council, and for 31 years in the Planning department at Rochdale Council, rising to the position of Assistant Director in the former Environment Department. For the two years before his retirement, Dave was Operations Director for Rochdale Development Agency.

In 1974 Dave moved to Rochdale to take up a position as Principal Planning Officer with the new Metropolitan Borough Council. He was soon promoted to Head of Local Plans and Urban Renewal. From then on he held a number of senior management posts with the authority, latterly as Assistant Director in the former Environment Department of the Council, with responsibilities for both strategic and implementation planning.

For much of Dave's career he led teams initiating urban and economic development and physical improvements. In addition to his planning work, Dave also took responsibility for many corporate initiatives such as Inner Areas and Single Regeneration programmes. He was also Rochdale's lead planner on Greater Manchester and regional joint working groups.

Award Criteria and Eligibility.

Any individual or team employed directly by the Council or Rochdale Development Agency will be eligible for the award.

Nominees may be put forward by any officer or manager within any of the organisations above who feels that an officer or team has demonstrated excellent practice in the area of regeneration or planning. The officer or manager nominating a person or team does not have to have been involved in a particular project but would need a thorough understanding of the aims, progress and outcomes from such a project. The purpose of the award is not only to reward high achievement but to encourage the use of innovation and best practice.

The award will be presented to the individual or team whose project can best demonstrate an activity which enhances the physical, environmental or economic well being of a community or communities in the Borough of Rochdale.