Project to transform rundown farm in village near Lancaster wins national award for building excellence

More than 850 guests attended the LABC (Local Authority Building Control) Building Excellence Awards Grand Finals 2022 at the Park Plaza, Westminster Bridge, London, to celebrate best practice, quality, and exemplary standards in construction.

And Warton Grange Close in the village of Warton, built by housing developer Wilson & Co Properties, came away with the Best Medium Volume New Housing Development.

Warton Grange Close is a regeneration of an empty farm in into 25 high end dwellings. it lies within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) with strict planning constraints.

The project saw extensive civil engineering carried out to mitigate the risk of underlying peat and to overcome flooding issues, while working closely with the RSPB due to the neighbouring Warton Mires.

Built under the LABC Partner Authority Scheme, plan checking was completed by South Lakeland District Council and site inspections carried out by Lancaster City Council’s building control team.

Lancaster based HPA Chartered Architects designed the technical scheme, overseeing the project from concept to completion. with director Richard Wooldridge and Senior Architect Helen Madin there at the awards evening to share the scheme’s success.

Lancaster and Kendal based RG Parkins & Partners designed the drainage and structural engineering elements of the scheme.

Also on the night, Wilson & Co Properties director Byron Wilson was a grand finalist in the Construction Specialist of The Year Category while Jason Brown won their second award of the evening for Best Residential Site Manager, beating 18 other contenders.

Byron said: "We are still pinching ourselves, we are delighted beyond words to have won three separate categories at the North West regional level, but to travel to London and secure two prestigious national awards is so humbling.

"We thank all our team for their persistence and courage over the last few years which has been challenging for everybody.”

Lorna Stimpson, LABC Chief Executive, said: "These awards reflect LABC’s new focus on skills, quality and competency and showcase the best projects, people, and teams working in construction from a technical compliance perspective."