Wednesday, 10th October 2007
M.E.N. Residential Property Award winners
THE best new properties completed in the north west over the last year were singled out for honours in a glitzy night at the Midland hotel in Manchester.
The Manchester Evening News Residential Property Awards are now in their fourth year and provoke fierce competition from housebuilders proud of what they are producing.
Melissa PorterTV's Melissa Porter was host for the evening, introducing the nominations in eight categories that included for the first time this year one highlighting sustainability.
The Cheshire born presenter of Put Your Money Where Your House Is is a property expert herself, having renovated half a dozen houses around London. She got the bug from her parents and now has her own property renovation and fit-out company Porter and Smurfit.
GMG chief executive Mark Dodson GMG chief executive Mark Dodson praised developers for tackling the challenges of environmental impact, land availability and affordability with energy and enterprise and he thanked the sponsors of the event: Manchester City Council, Allied London and Manchester based law firm Rowlands.
Freshfields - LPC Living. The winners were:
Affordable home Freshfields - LPC Living. The size of apartment, the quality of the fittings and the sheer value for money of Freshfields at Charlestown won the prize here for the Salford Quays based developers who have turned the renovation of old tower blocks into an enviable art form. They are proud that the majority of their buyers are first timers under 30.
The Cottonworks - P J Livesey.The Cottonworks - P J Livesey. The category that unsurprisingly got the most entries and the finalists were all very different. Apartment living is now being refined and the judges were looking for something that had that bit extra to make it feel like a home and liked the space and overall quality of the The Cottonworks at Bolton.
Little Alex Apartments - R-GenLittle Alex Apartments - R-Gen. How eco-friendly are new homes now? Well the solar panels, grey water systems and exterior wood at the Little Alex in Hulme took top honours here. It's a ground breaking scheme by the developers who believe sustainability also encompasses who schemes are sold to. Their's is fully-occupied by people who have bought to live, not let.
Leabank Estate - the Hurstwood GroupLeabank Estate - the Hurstwood Group. After inspecting acres of marble and granite and admiring the turn of a staircase the judges decided that Forrest House on the Leabank Estate at Rawtenstall qualified as best luxury home. Much of it was specified by the current owner and delivered with care and skill by Hurstwood. It is one of five large houses here, each different, each top quality.
Victoria Mill - MillshomesVictoria Mill - Millshomes. The sheer range of contenders made this the hardest category to call, but the vote finally went to Victoria Mill at Reddish, the stylish re-use of a huge old building by Millshomes. Judges liked how much of the original building was kept exposed and the quality of the finish. High praise though for the restoration of The Residences at Whitefield by Ivy Homes.
Deakins Park - The Charles Topham GroupDeakins Park - The Charles Topham Group. Honours here for a four storey family home that sets new standards in style and space. Charles Topham have comprehensively brought back an old mill site into use with new office space, family homes and apartments on a well thought out development fringing countryside north of Bolton.
Countryside Properties - New BroughtonCountryside Properties - New Broughton. The work being done by Countryside Properties to re-build and re-brand Lower Broughton won the plaudits from the judges who liked the standard and mix of the properties and the huge scale and long term ambitions of the whole masterplan.
Countryside Properties Countryside Properties came top here, too, for the sheer range and quality of the properties they are building, from modern townhouses in Warrington to city centre apartments and family homes with each location considered individually.
It was a hard task but someone had to do it and the judges this year were: Matt Bell, campaigns and education director with CABE, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment; Marie Bintley, head of regeneration with English Partnerships for Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire: designer Stephen Johnson and Ian Perry, housing spokesperson for RICS and chief executive of the Harvest Housing Group.
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