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The region’s latest and most impressive buildings and new developments were celebrated at a glittering ceremony held in Newcastle as the winners of the 2009 RICS North East Renaissance Awards were announced.

The awards – organised by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) are open to all types of project, from massive retail developments to the smallest of landscape gardens and everything in between. 2009 proved to be a fantastic year with a record number of entries.

Newcastle’s Tyneside Cinema was the star of the show, taking a trio of awards winning two of the eight specialist categories – Building Conservation and Tourism & Leisure – as well as the overall accolade Project of the Year.

RICS judges described the multi-million pound project, which saw the cinema close for 18 months during restoration works, as “an excellent example of a building conservation project”. They said it was “a successful commercial venture that has employed creative and innovative design to breathe new life into a leisure facility that is rare and in many ways unique - a project that is playing a regenerative role in the widest sense of the word”.

Jennifer Welch, Durham-based Operations Director for RICS North, said: “Tyneside Cinema is a very worthy winner of all three awards. Not so long ago the building, on Pilgrim Street, was past its sell-by date and its transformation has placed it as a firm jewel in the region’s cultural crown.

“The Renaissance Awards are now in their sixth year and provide an invaluable opportunity to celebrate and showcase the North East’s exceptional projects. As a sector we should all be very proud of the work that has continued in the region and the people behind it. We’ve seen some truly world-class projects come to fruition over the past year, all of which are playing a hugely positive role for those living, working and visiting the region.”

The £7m redevelopment project was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, One North East, The Northern Rock Foundation and generous grants and donations from supporters.

Ivor Crowther, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in the North East said: “Recognising this fantastic project is so important; it really shows what lottery funding can do and that sustaining the North East’s heritage is so worthwhile. It is great to see that in our region we realise what significant buildings and institutions we have and how vital they are to our society.”

The full list of winners is:

• Building Conservation – Tyneside Cinema
• Commercial (property) – Memphis at Lingfield Point in Darlington
• Community Benefit – Sacriston Surgery, Durham
• Tourism & Leisure – Tyneside Cinema
• Design & Innovation – Freeman Quay Leisure Centre, Durham
• Regeneration – Middlesbrough College
• Residential (property) – River’s Gate in Walker, Newcastle
• Sustainability – Lion House, Zebra Project, Alnwick

Recognising inspirational initiatives and developments in land, property, construction and the environment, the Renaissance Awards judging panel is made up of property professionals, many of them chartered surveyors, who consider all aspects of the buildings and projects entered, from design and planning, to construction and the look and feel of the finished product.

Chairman of the judges David Furniss, a chartered surveyor and Head of Atisreal’s Newcastle Office, said: “It’s great to see such high standards of design and construction right here in the North East, there is some fantastic work being done which deserves to be championed and celebrated. Projects like Tyneside Cinema can hold their own against anything else in the world and the long-term benefits of such developments on growing our regional economy will be reaped for years to come.”

Sponsors of the 2009 RICS North East Renaissance Awards award include; international construction company Carillion plc, national PR and marketing agency Golley Slater, Northumbria University which offers a wide range of construction-based courses, audio visual specialists the R&B Group, water proofing solutions company Sarnafil, AIM-listed tax and business advisory group Vantis, Newcastle’s Civic Centre, and one of the UK’s largest law firms, Ward Hadaway.

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