The hunt is underway for Northern Ireland’s most remarkable developments in land, property and construction.

The RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Northern Ireland Awards will present accolades for Community Benefit, Building Conservation, Regeneration and Design & Innovation.

Launched today, the scheme is open to anyone working within the property profession, and will celebrate the talents of surveyors, developers, engineers, planners, architects and others.

The deadline for entries is January 18th 2013 and the Northern Ireland winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Riddel Hall, Queen’s University Belfast on May10th .

In addition to winners and commended projects in the four categories, the RICS Northern Ireland Awards will also name an overall project of the year.

The Northern Ireland winners will also be entered into the RICS Awards Grand Final, where they will compete with other regional winners from across the UK and internationally to be the overall category winner and for the ultimate accolade – Project of the Year. The Grand Final will

take place in London in October 2013.

Last year’s Northern Ireland Project of the Year was The Belfast Streets Ahead Project. It also won the Regeneration category.

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Brownlow Community Hub, Craigavon (Community Benefit); Queen’s University Sports Facilities (Design & Innovation); and the restoration of St Columb’s Cathedral, Londonderry (Building Conservation) were the other category winners, selected from 19 shortlisted projects.

Minister for Social Development, Nelson McCausland welcomed the launch of the awards:

"The RICS Awards recognise the achievements and successes of professionals working in both built and natural environments and have many synergies with my Department's regeneration work. The contribution made by professionals to Physical Regeneration Projects across Northern

Ireland has been hugely significant over the past 5/10 years.

"Projects ranging from Comprehensive Development Schemes, like the Victoria Square scheme, to Public Realm Schemes such as the Newcastle Promenade Scheme, which won the RICS Regeneration Award in 2011 and the Belfast: Streets Ahead Scheme, which won the Regeneration Award/Project of the Year in 2012, all benefited from the input of locally based professionals.

"We need to do all that we can to showcase the enormous talent of Northern Ireland's workforce in delivering high quality and world class Regeneration, Building Conservation, Design and Innovation, and Community Benefit projects which are all categories within the 2013

Awards scheme."

RICS Northern Ireland Director, Ben Collins, says that the awards recognise world-class local building projects for their positive contribution to life in Northern Ireland.

"There are some fantastic and inspirational projects taking place in our

built environment and we want to highlight, recognise and celebrate

them," Mr Collins says.

"The RICS Awards are the property industry’s pre-eminent celebration and

I encourage local professionals to enter their work to showcase it on a

local and international platform," he adds.

RICS Northern Ireland Awards Judging Chairman, Alistair Dunn, says: "Each of the four categories demonstrates how property professionals use their considerable skills to develop, regenerate and conserve the environment in which we live and work. The Northern Ireland winners from past years have had great success in the Grand Final in London, and we look forward to seeing some strong contenders again this year."