Today, the biggest names in the UK housebuilding industry gathered to celebrate the very best in new homes development, build and design at the 37th annual WhatHouse? Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London.
Comedian Jack Whitehall was on hand to give out the ‘gongs’ in front of crowd of 1,700 of the great and the good of the property world.
The most prestigious awards in the new homes industry saw Redrow Homes take away the biggest prize in British housebuilding: Housebuilder of the year 2018, rewarded for its outstanding achievements over the last year (building nearly 6,000 homes across England and Wales, reporting record revenues of £1.92bn and record pre-tax profits of £380m, up 21% on 2017) in addition to its outstanding industry engagement and its recent landmark of selling its 100,000th new home.
London Square, the London based developer was the most awarded company picking up six awards in six different categories and including Best Interior Design and Best Mixed Use Development. Both its Star & Garter renovation in Richmond and the development of its Streatham Hill site were equally awarded in three categories each.
Rupert Bates, Editorial Director of WhatHouse? Digital and Show House Magazine said, “These awards showcase the best of the best new housebuilding in the UK each year and celebrate the industry’s commitment to ‘raising the bar’ year on year. We may live in uncertain times but it’s important to recognise how much we have achieved since we last met and talk about how we can overcome the obstacles in our way to sustaining a long term, profitable future for our industry.”
At the awards Guest presenter Gabby Logan spoke to the room about the gender ‘gap’ in construction and reflected on her own experience in sports broadcasting. To give some context, recent RICS research has shown that in construction nearly a third of women said sexism holds them back from pursuing senior roles whilst 38 per cent of men said their skills are better suited to the sector than women.
The Awards also come as the Government announced the establishment of the ‘Building Better, Building Beautiful’ commission. Designed to help communities welcome new developments the commission will take shape over the next few months. It was another hot topic of discussion at the awards.
For the housebuilders at the event, they broadly welcomed the announcement with Rupert Bates adding “Anything that helps us lessen the divide between ‘them’ and ‘us’ when it comes to dealing with planners and local communities must be broadly welcomed.”
This year 21 awards were presented to over 60 winners. Former England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio accepted a £10,000 donation from the Awards for the Dallaglio RugbyWorks charity which works with teenagers not in mainstream education towards furthering their training or education.
THE AWARDS AND WINNERS:
HOUSEBUILDER OF THE YEAR: REDROW
Winning Housebuilder of the Year 2018 and Best Large Housebuilder of the Year (Gold) caps a remarkable year for Redrow. Founder Steve Morgan is retiring next March after 44 years with the business he started in 1974. 2018 has been a record-breaking year for the FTSE 250 company with it building 6000 new homes across England and Wales; achieving record revenues of £1.92bn and recording pre-tax profits of £380m, up 21% on 2017. 15 English and Welsh regions currently have Redrow housing in planning over 130 different sites.
It won the accolade based on the overall quality of its homes and the business, but also its ongoing commitment to training and recruitment. 15% of Redrow’s workforce are trainees and it has been a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer for five successive years. Its partnerships with Liverpool John Moores University and Coleg Cambria have established a three-year housebuilding degree there.
Avant Homes won Silver in the Best Large Housebuilder of the Year category with Places for People scooping Bronze.
BEST MEDIUM HOUSEBUILDER 2018 (developments between 100 and 1000 homes), Gold, has been awarded to Hill. Led by Chief Executive Andy Hill it has been building award winning homes since 1999. Their trailblazing approach to construction has included initiatives such as A Women’s Innovation Forum which aims to encourage openness and drive performance.
Spitfire Bespoke Homes won Silver with William Davis Homes and Churchill Retirement Living taking Bronze.
BEST SMALL HOUSEBUILDER 2018
Fleur Developments has been recognised as Best Small Housebuilder 2018, Gold winner (for developers building less than 100 homes). Based and building in North Norfolk, their homes are known for their design credentials and attention to detail. Clay roof pantiles, brick and flint elevations and timber clad windows are features of their work and they take pride in their craftsmanship featured in individual projects such as Seaglass in Brancaster Staithe. Here local materials, oak staircases and hand cut bricks brought a refreshing attention to detail to this brand new house.
Duchy Homes won Silver in this category and Hayfield Homes and Vanderbilt picked up Bronze.
BEST HOUSE 2018
Winning ‘Best House’ this year is Salford’s ‘Urban Splash Town House’. A three storey 1,500ft² modular terraced home that was first launched in Manchester in 2016, the same ‘house’ has now been built at other sites in Salford, Birmingham and Newcastle. Offering a customisable, flexible and ultimately affordable way to build houses, Urban Splash impressed judges with its focus on factory automation which holds great promise for the future.
BEST LUXURY HOUSE AND BEST LUXURY DEVELOPMENT
Luxury new developments are part of a diverse housebuilding national picture and the renovation in Richmond, London of the ‘Star and Garter’ by London Square has won Best Luxury House, Best Interior Design and Best Luxury Development at today’s awards making it the most awarded developer this year with six awards in six different categories.
Now Grade II listed, it was originally built in the early 1920s for disabled soldiers returning from the First World War and was opened by Queen Mary in 1924. London Square, the developers of the building, with architects Paul Davis + Partners, have transformed the building into 86 homes which now feature underground parking, restored original brickwork, luxury facilities including a gym and indoor pool.
London Square have also secured additional awards success with their residential development at Streatham Hill in London, SW2, a mixed- use, one-hectare development comprising 254 studio, one, two, three and four bedroom apartments built around a large courtyard. Keeping the Art Deco existing façade from the original Gaumont Palace cinema and being considerate of the scheme’s residential streets that surround it were two reasons why their work has won Best Mixed Use Development 2018.
Silver in this category was awarded to Taylor Wimpey Central London for their work on the The Music Box at Southwark, London SE1 whilst the Bronze award went to Filey Group and Kingsbury for their work on the development at 92-94 Stamford Hill, London N16.
Appendix of all award winners
Housebuilder of the Year
Best Large Housebuilder – sponsored by Heylo Housing
Gold – Redrow Homes
Silver – Avant Homes
Bronze – Places For People
Best Medium Housebuilder – sponsored by Robinson Manufacturing
Gold – Hill
Silver – Spitfire Bespoke Homes
Joint Bronze – Churchill Retirement Living
Joint Bronze – William Davis Homes
Best Small Housebuilder – sponsored by Beko/Appliance Plus+
Gold – Fleur Developments
Silver – Duchy Homes
Joint Bronze – Hayfield Homes
Joint Bronze – Vanderbilt Homes
Housing Association Of The Year – sponsored by WhatHouse?
Gold – Southern Housing Group
Silver – The Hyde Group
Bronze – A2Dominion Group
Best Build To Rent Project – sponsored by Roca
Gold – Tipi @ Wembley Park, Quintain
Silver – Porters Edge, Rotherhithe, Folio London
Best Starter Home Scheme – sponsored by New ID
Gold – Alton Court, London W7, Broadway Living
Silver – Le Bon Court, Harrow, Network Homes
Bronze – Bow River Village, Southern Housing Group
Best House – sponsored by Roca
Gold – Manchester, Urban Splash
Silver – Meaux Rise, Hull, Home Group
Joint Bronze – Woodside Sq, Muswell Hill, Hill
Joint Bronze – Cambian, Southfields, Lendlease
Best Apartment Scheme – sponsored by New Homes Law
Gold – Streatham Hill, London Square
Silver – Queens Wharf, Mount Anvil
Bronze – Blackfriars Circus, Barratt London
Best Luxury House – sponsored by Q Assure
Gold – Star & Garter, London Square
Silver – Manor Barn, Littlebourne, Quinn Estates
Bronze – Pemberley House, Altrincham, PH Property Holdings
Best Renovation – sponsored by Laufen
Gold – The Playfair, Edinburgh, City & Country Residential
Silver – Dudin Brown, Hampstead, Mount Anvil
Joint Bronze – King Edward VII, Midhurst, City & Country Residential
Joint Bronze – Eagle House, Wimbledon, Octagon
Best Development – sponsored by Investec
Gold – Clevedon Hall, Bristol, Spitfire Bespoke Homes
Joint Silver – Bayford Mews, NestEast London
Joint Silver – Muswell Hill, Hill
Bronze – Streatham Hill, London Square
Best Partnership Scheme – sponsored by N&C
Gold – Derwenthorpe, York, Barratt David Wilson Yorkshire East
Silver – Chapel Riverside, Southampton, Inland Homes
Best Luxury Development – sponsored by Haddonstone
Gold – Star & Garter, London Square
Joint Silver – Chelsea Riverside, Hutchison Property Group
Joint Silver – Hampstead Manor, Mount Anvil
Best Mixed-Use Development – sponsored by Connells
Gold – Streatham Hill, London Square
Silver – Music Box, Taylor Wimpey Central London
Bronze – Stamford Hill, Filey Group / Stockwool
Best Retirement Development – sponsored by Nolte
Gold – Audley Redwood, Audley Group
Silver – The Farthings, Beechcroft Developments
Joint Bronze – Quayside, Totnes, The Guinness Partnership
Joint Bronze – Parkland Place, Biggleswade, McCarthy & Stone
Best Sustainable Development – sponsored by WhatHouse?
Gold – Roborough Eco, Plymouth, ZeroC / Places For People
Silver – Kidbrooke, Berkeley Homes East Thames
Best Regeneration – sponsored by Show House Jobs
Gold – Barnes Village, Henley Homes
Silver – Kidbrooke, Berkeley Homes East Thames
Joint Bronze – Cofton Grange, Birmingham, St Modwen Homes
Joint Bronze – Acton Gardens, Countryside / L&Q
Best Interior Design – sponsored by Green Lighting
Gold – Star & Garter, London Square
Silver – 251 Select 10, Oakmayne Properties
Joint Bronze – Penthouse, Birchwood, Fusion Residential
Joint Bronze – Micro Apts, Croydon, Inspired Homes
Best Exterior Design – sponsored by Tobermore
Gold – Hoxton Press, Anthology
Silver – Vi Castle Lane, Sons & Co
Bronze – Carpenters Wharf, Anderson Group
Best Public Realm – sponsored by Show House Jobs
Gold – Great Kneighton, Trumpington, Cambridge, Countryside
Silver – Tadpole Garden Village, Swindon, Wiltshire, Crest Nicholson Strategic Projects
Joint Bronze – Ninewells, Cambridge, Hill
Joint Bronze – Colindale Gardens, London NW9, Redrow Homes
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