MULTI-million pound building projects will compete with a bandstand, a tea room, a Gothic mansion and a tree house for the North-East's Building of the Year award.

The North-East Renaissance awards, an annual celebration of the built environment in the region, are organised by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

This year, the awards ceremony takes place at Newcastle Civic Centre on April 22.

The shortlist, which includes the Alnwick Castle treehouse and the Beehive Ballroom, in Darlington, highlights the good work being carried out across the region to revitalise communities.

Jennifer Welch, regional director of RICS North East, which represents 3,000 chartered surveyors working in the region, said: "The range of projects, some costing many millions and others a few thousand pounds, means that the judges will have a very difficult task."

The RICS North East Renaissance awards are designed to celebrate the best regional initiatives in land, property, construction and the environment.

There are four categories, Building Conservation, Sustainability, Community Benefit and Regeneration. The winners of each are then considered for the overall Building of the Year Award.

* Projects taking place in County Durham, the Tees Valley and Sunderland are shown on the right.

Published: 08/03/2005