Mayor Colin Sampson presents awards to outstanding developments.

Innovative development schemes in West Norfolk were given special recognition at a presentation ceremony for the 2011 Mayor's Awards for Design in the Environment.

The awards were presented by borough mayor, Colin Sampson, at the ceremony which took place in King's Lynn's Town Hall.

'Good planning and good design go hand-in-hand in providing all of us with a high-quality and pleasant environment in which to live and work. I think it is very important to recognise those who work extremely hard to produce such schemes and I am delighted to be presenting awards to the winners in the various categories,' he said.

Winner of the commercial refurbishment category was Mr Simms sweetshop in King's Lynn's Norfolk Street which opened last July.

Owner Paul Stothers said he was delighted with the achievement and it came as the numbers of customers to his store continued to grow.

'We are so lucky, I have great staff and customers. We were open on our first day until 1am because it was Festival Too and the customers just kept coming. We will be doing that again this year,' he said.

Mr Stothers, of Snettisham, added that his business relied on customer service and he was 'humbled' by their response to the shop.

The borough awards were introduced in 1998 to draw attention to some of the innovative design in the borough and to highlight the high quality of smaller schemes which are not recognised by large scale national award schemes.

Each year the mayor, along with a panel of judges, selects the best scheme in each category for an award. This year's awards attracted an impressive 31 entries, giving the judges a tough job.

Deputy Mayor Elizabeth Watson, judging panel member, said: 'It was a very great privilege to be part of the judging team for this year's design awards and I was delighted to see so many excellent designs. The variety was exceptional and there were outstanding designs in every category. We are very lucky in this region to have so many talented architects and builders whose work enhances the towns and villages within the Borough. I enjoyed the experience immensely of travelling around the area and seeing the most amazing buildings. It was an experience which was exciting, challenging and extremely uplifting. '

Winners were: Commercial Refurbishment and Alteration, Mr Simms Sweet Shop, Norfolk Street, King's Lynn. Agent, SMG Architects Ltd; Residential Refurbishment and Alteration; 4 Queens Drive, Owner: Mr and Mrs D Brown, Agent: Grahame Seaton; Commercial New Build,St Germans Pumping Station, Wiggenhall St Germans

Owner: Middle level Commissioners, Agent: W S Atkins Plc; Residential New Build, Ivy Farm House, Stanhoe. Owner: Mr and Mrs E Jackson, Agent: Strata Architectural Ltd; Small Scale Multiple New Build, flats at Lady Jane Grey Road, King's Lynn

Owner: Freebridge Community Housing, Agent: Parsons and Whittley Architects Ltd; Barn Conversion, Lower Farm Barn, Grimston. Owner: Mr and Mrs A Skerry, Agent: Mr Richard Waite; Community Amenity, Grimston Clock Tower. Owner: Grimston Parish Council, Agent: Morton Hall Consulting Ltd

Gold Award Winner, St Germans Pumping Station.