Tesco in Harrogate named UK’s best Environmental Impact project at RICS awards
“The judges praised the Harrogate Tesco for combining the latest innovation and technology to create a store designed with sustainability at its heart”
A Harrogate superstore which opened less than a year ago has been named UK’s best Environmental Impact project by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
The new Tesco, was launched in Skipton Road in December 2025 after years of debate and controversy in the town with fears over the potential impact on traffic.
But, at the RICS Awards Grand Final in London, the judges awarded it one of the top accolades for its low carbon concept.
The prestigious event, hosted by Tom Dyckhoff, writer, historian, teacher and broadcaster of cities, architecture, geographies and visual culture, and held at the Park Plaza London Westminster Bridge celebrates the UK’s most inspirational built projects that are having a significant positive impact on the communities they serve.
Commenting on the winning project, the judges said: “The judges were impressed by a project that embedded environmental thinking throughout design, construction, operation and community engagement.
“Rather than relying on a headline initiative, it brought together lower-carbon materials, renewable energy, smarter water management and biodiversity enhancement within one coherent strategy. “
The judges praised the Harrogate Tesco for combining the latest innovation and technology to create a store designed with sustainability at its heart.
From its timber frame and recycled concrete slab, to the solar panels which provide 20% of the store’s energy, the pioneering design and development of the building is shaping the future of low carbon buildings in the UK, playing a key role in the new Pilot UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard.
The Harrogate store is part of Tesco’s overall transformational climate ambitions which include achieving carbon neutral across all their operations by 2035.