The 7th National Planning Awards 2011 – 2012 were presented by Minister of State for Housing and Planning Jan O’Sullivan at a ceremony in the Custom House, Dublin, on Thursday, February 16th 2012.  The Awards, which aim to highlight the best examples of planning practice and to raise the standard of townscape design and planning awareness within both the public and private sectors, were attended by an audience of over 80 invited guests. The Awards received a total of 28 nominations from entrants in all categories including rural and urban communities, the public and private sectors, and students. The jury considered the quality of this year’s entrants to be one of the highest to date. Full details can be viewed on the IPI’s website, www.irishplanninginstitute.ie.