THE Brewery Yard regeneration scheme, which cost Monmouthshire County Council almost £4million, has been shortlisted for a prestigious award.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Wales has announced its shortlist of entries for the biggest property awards in Wales. Sixteen projects from throughout Wales have made the shortlist for the awards which will take place in May.

The Brewery Yard project will represent Abergavenny in the regeneration category, and will be judged alongside schemes from Carmarthen, Rhyl and Pwllheli. The awards recognise the achievements that projects have made to sustainability, regeneration, the conservation of buildings and the benefit made to the community in Wales.

The standard of entries was very high this year and those shortlisted will now battle it out for the five top awards at the final in May. The entries include the transformation of a key town centre, the refurbishment of a historical building to make way for a hotel, the preservation of an ancient monument and the creation of a new community building. In addition to the four category awards, an overall winner will be awarded with the prestigious title of Welsh Project of the Year.

Emma Georgiades, Events Manager for RICS Wales, said:

"With standards being incredibly high this year, it is going to be a difficult task to decide on the category and overall winners. It is very positive to see such exciting and intricate projects taking place in Wales, particularly against the backdrop of public spending cuts.

"The judges have now visited each of the shortlisted entries to assess how professionals have used their skills to develop, regenerate and conserve the world we live in, as well as evidence of their commitment to value for money and sustainability.

"The RICS Awards are known as the Oscars of the industry and it is a hotly contested competition. All of the projects are assessed on individual merit and the size and budget of the schemes bears no weight in the judging process. These projects will have had to make a real contribution or significant accomplishment whether in terms of regeneration, sustainability, working within an existing building or benefiting the community. This is now the final step towards four of these projects receiving a best in Wales RICS award and celebrating the achievement they have made."