Celebrating this year's Essex Housing Awards 2023 winners

Fourteen Essex Awards 2023 winners, across twelve categories, were named in a splendid evening ceremony, held in association with Birketts last Thursday, 2 November 2023.

At the Greenwoods Hotel last week, despite the poor weather, an audience of 170+ housing enthusiasts gathered to celebrate the prestigious Essex Awards 2023. Attendees included private businesses, housing associations, local authorities, contractors, agents, and non-profits from throughout the region.

Mark Curle, Chair of Essex Developers Group (EDG) and Helen McCabe, Chair of the South Essex Housing Group (SEHG), began the event with a few words.

Then, Steven Kay, Partner at Birketts, the event’s headline partner, welcomed the guests, who had braved the bad weather, to the celebration of Essex’s housing sector and to recognise the individuals and organisations who had made significant contributions over the last twelve months.

Steven said: “The evening’s awards paid testament to the high-quality developments, organisations and people delivering housing growth across the county and mark the hard work of those in the region who strive to create exceptional living spaces for our communities.”

Mark Easton, as host for the second consecutive year, kept the room lively as the awards ceremony moved into its main event, the presentation of 12 awards, four of which were new this year. By recognizing and celebrating excellence across the public, private, and voluntary sectors, the awards hope to better bring the Essex housing industry together.

Cheers rang out, prosecco flowed, riveting conversations were had, and exciting introductions were made. Emily Mulvaney, Programme Manager at Rentplus, the event’s drinks sponsor, spoke at the reception about Rentplus’ affordable solutions.

The most memorable moment of the night, however, was the final award, ‘The Mo Slade Rising Star’ award sponsored by Anderson Development. The new category was added in recognition of the late Mo Slade, a strong youth advocate who worked at Basildon Council for over 47 years.

Before the winners were announced Steve Slade, Mo’s husband spoke of his wife and the way she was dedicated to nurturing and caring for young people in the industry.

Tim Chilvers, Operations Director at Anderson Development, presented the award, saying:

“This award recognises a young person or apprentice that has become a rising star within the organisation they work, making a significant contribution to a housing project or service. A young person with both personal and professional integrity, drive, and ambition to further their career within the sector.

“The judging panel found this category extremely hard to judge, with nine incredibly strong applicants. It was agreed that there should be three awards given on the evening to the standout finalists.”

The three young awardees got a standing ovation, taking the night to a brilliant conclusion.

The results of the Essex Housing Awards 2023 are as follows:
Small Housing Schemes (1 – 24 homes)
Winner: The Meadows (Ardale) – Kind & Company
Highly Commended: Bluebird – HARP

Medium Housing Schemes (25 – 100 homes) sponsored by Qualis Group
Winner: Abbey Corner – Peabody
Highly Commended: Mount Hill Development – Eastlight Community Homes

Large Housing Schemes (101+ homes) sponsored by Birketts
Winner: Beechwood Village – Pollard Thomas Edwards
Highly Commended: Aylett’s Green – Cala Homes

Excellence in Design & Placemaking sponsored by Latimer by Clarion Housing Group
Winner: Bluebird – SKArchitects
Highly Commended: The Meadows (Ardale) – Kind & Company

Excellence in Construction Skills sponsored by CHP
Winner: South Essex Construction Skills Academy – Southend-On-Sea City Council
Highly Commended: Essex Careers Magazine – Essex County Council

Climate Action – Decarbonisation / Retrofit
Winner: Chadwell High Rise Retrofit Project – Thurrock Council and Kensa
Highly Commended: Southend-on-Sea City Council Retrofit Action

Climate Action – Low / Zero Carbon in New Homes sponsored by Cala
Winner: Net Zero Carbon New Home – Essex County Council in partnership with EPOA
Highly Commended: Harewood Regeneration – Brentwood Borough Council

Meeting Housing Need
Winner: Essex Housing Team – Essex Housing
Highly Commended: Bluebird – HARP

Neighbourhood Transformation
Winner: Colchester Borough Homes

Digital Impact
Winner: Estuary Housing Association’s Digital Platforms

Housing & Development Professional of the Year sponsored by Kind & Company
Winner: Paul Gayler, Chelmsford City Council

The Mo Slade Rising Star Award sponsored by Anderson Development
Winners:
Charlotte Wright, Epping Forest District Council
Luke Rapley, Basildon Borough Council
Faye Creasey, Southend-on-Sea City Council

The Essex Housing Awards 2023 are in partnership with Essex Developers Group (EDG) and South Essex Housing Group (SEHG), in association with headline partner Birketts, and sponsored & supported by Anderson Development, Cala Homes, CHP, Kind & Company, Latimer by Clarion Housing Group, Qualis Group and Rentplus.

To discover more about the finalists and their amazing contributions and learn about our sponsors, please have a look at our interactive programme:
https://indd.adobe.com/view/dae51ed5-38a7-4647-be31-608c1908f752

For more information on the awards, visit: https://www.housingessex.org/essex-housing-awards-2023/

We will be back soon for the Essex Awards 2024. Stay in the loop by following on:
Twitter @EssxHousingAwds #EssexHousingAwards
LinkedIn: Essex Housing Awards