Member Article

Property development company toasts its success

A Warwick property development company is toasting its success in the regional round of a nationwide building excellence awards.

AC Lloyd, whose headquarters are at Tachbrook Park, is the winner of the Best Social or Affordable New Housing Development in the West Midlands region of the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards 2020 for its work in phases one, two and three at Station Approach Development in Leamington.

The £22 million project involved AC Lloyd collaborating with Warwick District Council and Platform Housing Group to create two-and-three-bedroom homes and apartments on a site which dates back nearly 400 years near Leamington Spa Station.

Alistair Clark, the managing director of AC Lloyd Homes, said it was the first time AC Lloyd had entered the LABC Awards which recognise a high standard of technical work as well as rewarding the talent of people working within the building industry.

He said: “Thousands of extra visitors will be travelling to Leamington Spa Station when the town hosts the lawn bowls and para bowls during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as well as next year when Coventry is UK City of Culture and the brief was to deliver a landmark development as it is one of the first buildings people will see when arriving in the town.

“The complexity of the site from day one meant this couldn’t have been achieved without regular dialogue and co-operation from Warwick District Council’s building control team and it was a true partnership.

“Our team’s expertise in dealing with such a difficult site through excellent team working, communication and planning ahead was vital.

“From the beginning, there were land ownership issues to resolve and having to deal with a heavily contaminated site meant the pragmatic approach from ourselves, WDC and the Platform Housing Group was vital in overcoming issues which occurred and agreeing jointly on the solutions.

“We believe the Station Approach Development has enhanced the whole neighbourhood because it was previously an eyesore and it has now become the place to live in Leamington because of the high quality of the housing accommodation which is within walking distance of the Parade shopping centre.

“The development was delivered on time and to budget – and winning this accolade is a great way to mark the completion of these phases of the site.”

Phil Rook, Head of Consortium at Warwick Building Control, said: “I have worked with AC Lloyd for almost 30 years on numerous developments and they always build with quality as their main driver.

“As a local developer they have always accommodated and worked with us to provide developments that comply with legislation and that fit into the local environment, and this award is greatly deserved.”

Hazel Doolan, Area Development Manager at Platform Housing Group, said: “This is a very visual development since it is near Leamington Spa Station and in terms of design of the housing, the feedback from residents and near neighbours is that they appreciate the look of the properties which are not alien to the surroundings.

“This has been the first major project I have been involved in with AC Lloyd and I have been impressed by the quality of the development and the extra care they have taken in the little details because residents’ main priority is the finished product since it is their home and we have had no negativity.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .