THE partnership behind the building of the new Mountjoy School have scooped a prestigious regional award for its work.

Dorset County Council and West Dorset District Council have won the award for Best Partnership at the South West Building Excellence Awards.

The organisers of the awards, the Local Authority Building Control (LABC), singled out the co-operation between the two councils on the building of Mountjoy School in Beaminster, which was also a finalist in the Best Education Building category.

Paul Everall, chief executive of LABC, said: “This partnership has produced an amazing result at Mountjoy School.

“It was a highly specialist project with a focus on the needs of the end user right from the start.

“At the planning stage the design and building control teams visited a recently built special needs school to assess how their design ideas might work in reality.

“This close working relationship saw the project delivered by September 2012 – on time and within budget. ”

The awards are designed to celebrate excellent buildings and recognize team working, sustainable design and technical innovation. LABC promotes the design and construction of buildings that are safe, healthy, accessible and environmentally efficient Mountjoy School, built for 48 pupils with physical and learning disabilities, has a range of specialist facilities including specialist teaching rooms, hydrotherapy pool and specialist IT, audio visual and sensory equipment.

Hilary Cox, cabinet member for environment at Dorset County Council, said: “This award shows that if local councils work together they can deliver great results for local people. We’re incredibly proud of the new Mountjoy School and would like to thank all those involved that helped make the project a success.

“It really is a fantastic building and we’re delighted that pupils are enjoying their new facilities.”

Dorset Property, part of Dorset County Council, provides architectural and property management services for the county council, schools, and other local authorities in Dorset. It also works closely on construction projects with West Dorset District Council’s building control team.

Coun Robert Gould, leader of West Dorset District Council, said: “I am delighted with the positive impact the partnership has had in developing and building Mountjoy School. We are really proud of the project which provides pupils with excellent facilities to enjoy.

“Our close working with the county council highlights how strong partnership working can really benefit the local community.”