THE Chester Civic Trust has given its verdict on the best examples of new development, renovation of existing buildings and community projects in its annual Good, Bad and Ugly awards.

Now in its 13th year, the awards highlight Chester’s buildings, places, spaces and projects in an alternative New Year Honours list.

Chester Zoo triumphed in this year’s awards, with the judges unanimous in their decision that the £3m renovation of Oakfield House should be named the recipient of the Chairman’s Special Award.

The Grade II-listed house dating from 1874 has been sensitively transformed into a gastro pub, situated in the heart of Chester Zoo.

The Civic Trust judges hailed the renovation as “an excellent example of conservation” and lauded the attention to detail given to the project.

Nick Clarke, chairman of the judging panel and Partner at law firm Aaron and Partners, said: “It’s the first time in my tenure as chair of the judging panel that the judges were unanimous and in vigorous agreement as to the project that should be the winner of the Chairman’s Special Award.

“Oakfield House has been beautifully restored with breath-taking attention to detail.

“It is well worth a trip to the zoo to visit Oakfield House and stop for a drink or a bite to eat.”

Another project that made the 'Good' list was the restoration of the Cambrian Road footbridge and canal side access thanks to the efforts of residents, the Canals and Rivers Trust and local scout groups.

The Memorial Garden in Ellesmere Port, which marks the centenary of the end of the First World War, was also praised in the awards. The judges commended the transformation of the site, which they described as “beautiful”.

An unexpected entry on the 'Good' list was the new household waste recycling centre, which was lauded for its highly functional design. It was also noted that that it helped achieve a “significant step forward in encouraging proper waste disposal and recycling”.

Included in the 'Bad' and 'Ugly' categories were the unsightly old Ford building on Lower Bridge Street, which remains in a state of decay, along with the former derelict bus station on Princess Street, that remains an “unpleasant space,” though it was appreciated that this area is earmarked for redevelopment as part of the Northgate development.

Nick added: “Pleasingly, this year saw far more nominations in the 'Good' category than in the 'Bad' and 'Ugly' categories put together.

“As an organisation we aim to promote high standards of architectural design and these awards seek to recognise achievement in this regard.

“By including the 'Bad' and the 'Ugly' categories we can highlight areas that need attention and we hope this focuses attention on bringing about positive change.”

The Civic Trust is a registered charity set up to promote high standards of architecture in Chester, as well as helping to secure the preservation and protection of features of historic or public interest in the City.

Nominations for the awards were made by the members of the Civic Trust, with judging consisting of Philip Harrison, Geoff Clifton and Andrew Needham in addition to Nick Clarke.