Top of the Props: Yorkshire Residential Property Awards winners

Variety, the children’s charity, is still counting the proceeds from last night’s prestigious Yorkshire Residential Property Awards and organisers hope it will top last year’s total.

Whatever the final figure for the annual fundraising event, everyone agreed that the evening added up to a sensational celebration of the region’s property talent. TV presenter Jonnie Irwin, best known for fronting Escape to the Country and A Place in the Sun, was the celebrity host for the evening and he heaped praise on the sector for its hard work, determination and flair.

The 2016 winners are as follows:  Best Agency, Linley & Simpson estate and letting agents for their innovation, dynamism, commitment to customer service and giving back to the community. The runners-up were Morgans, Leeds, and Carter Jonas. Best Design Project went to IconInc for The Edge student accommodation in Leeds for use of technology and the design that revealed a great deal of thought to the end user. Runners-up were Calls Architecture for Ryder House and Coda for The Glassworks in Sheffield. Best Innovation Project went to Strata Homes for its Flaunt development in Leeds for taking a risk and bringing townhouses to those committed to city living by developing Otter Island, a derelict site on the outer edge of the city centre. Runners-up were IconInc for The Edge and Edward Architecture for its creative approach to a housing regeneration scheme in Heaton, Bradford. Best Large Development was awarded to PJ Livesey for its sensitive transformation of the former Terry’s chocolate factory in York into apartments. Judges said the first phase showed a regard for the building’s heritage while creating apartments with great style. The runners-up were Watson Batty, Henry Boot and Leeds City Council for Wharfedale View elderly care apartments in Yeadon and Redrow Homes for South Bank in Newton Kyme.

Best Regeneration project went to Keepmoat Homes and Leeds City Council for the £198m Leeds Housing Regeneration project, which saw the refurbishing of 1,296 council homes and the building of 388 new council homes. Judges praised the energy efficiency and energy generating elements for households that will benefit greatly from reduced fuel bills. Runners-up in this category were PJ Livesey for The Residence and Strata Homes for Flaunt. Housebuilder of the Year was won by Hull-based Beal Homes for the quality of their properties, their attention to detail and their customer service. Runners-up were Redrow Homes and Barratt Homes.

Best Planning Practice was awarded to Quod North for their strong track record, impressive client list and excellent reputation for deep knowledge of planning issues in the residential sector. The runners-up were NLP and ID Planning. Best Small Development went to Mulgrave Properties for its Oxenby Place development in Easingwold for its efforts to make every property look different. The runners-up were Wharfedale Homes for Linkfoot Lane, Helmsley, and Fountainhead Ventures for its conversion of properties at Askham Park, Askham Richard.

The Best Marketing Campaign winner was New Home Finder. Judges said that the start-up web-based business had raised its profile and persuaded top housebuilders to become part of its mission to become the premier property portal for those hunting for newly-built homes. They added that the digital drive to engage new users was very impressive. Runners-up were PJ Livesey for The Residence and Rushbond and DS Emotion for St Leonard’s Place, York.

Finally, this year’s Lifetime Achievement award went to Jonathan Morgan, co-founder of Morgans sales and letting agency for the enormous part he has played in and making city living it a vibrant and exciting reality. Judges applauded his work in attracting inward investment and concluded that he is a great ambassador for the city.

The sponsors of this year’s Yorkshire Residential Property Awards were Bond Dickinson, Kier, Carter Jonas, New Hampshire Trust Bank, DS Emotion, Edward Architecture, Walker Morris, WYG and The Yorkshire Post with support from French PR. The organisers were Variety and all funds raised from the awards dinner at the Queen’s Hotel, Leeds, will go to funding their work with disabled, disadvantaged and deserving children in Yorkshire.

Duncan Syers, of Town Centre Securities, is Chairman of the Yorkshire committee of Variety, the children’s charity. He says: “All the money raised at the Yorkshire Reisdential Property Awards is spent in the region and very little goes on running costs as Variety Yorkshire is mainly run by volunteers. Some of the funds are used to pay for Sunshine coaches, which are used by schools and organisations for children with special needs. It is also used to support one-off appeals for help and to buy wheelchairs. Most of the chairs we buy cost between £3,000 to £5,000 but we have paid £15,000 to £20,000 to buy specialist chairs. The effect is life changing.”