THE best new buildings in Salisbury and the surrounding area have been commended by the city’s Civic Society.

A judging panel picked Cloudberry House in Donhead St Mary, The Salisbury Diocesan Education Centre in Wilton and Lynchets in Mere as the winners in the society’s Building Awards Scheme.

The panel, chaired by Salisbury Playhouse artistic director Gareth Machin and including Andrew Guest, Alastair Clark and Louise Rendell, met on September 25 to consider the eleven nominations submitted. Of these six were within Salisbury, and five were outside the city. After considerable discussion, and site visits to short-listed candidates, the judges decided to give awards to three of the nominations, and to commend five others.

Cloudberry House was commended as “outstanding” as a recreation of the type of traditional house typical of the area.

The judges’ report said: “The interior in particular impressed, with the meticulous attention given to every facet, with natural stone floors and fireplaces and a nicely detailed staircase catching the attention.”

The education centre was praised as enhancing the area and responding positively to its landscape setting, while Lynchetts was considered to be well thought out and delivered with “a great deal of panache”.

The commendations went to Rock Cottage in Chilmark, Latch Cottage in Laverstock and New House, St Paul’s Community Centre and the Robertson-Corley wing at Wyndham Park Infant School in Salisbury.