Shropshire’s building award finalists named

The finalists have been announced in the first ever joint Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Building Excellence Awards.

Run by the building control teams of Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council, the awards aim to recognise excellence in design and build in both the residential and commercial sectors.

The winners of the awards will be announced at a ceremony at Shirehall in Shrewsbury on 16 March 2011, and will then go forward to represent Shropshire and Telford in the West Midlands regional final of the LABC (Local Authority Building Control) building excellence awards later this spring.

The regional winners will then represent the West Midlands at the LABC national awards in London in late 2011, where they will be up against winners from 11 other UK regions.

The finalists in this year’s awards, by category, are (with site address, architect’s name and builder’s name):

1a – New housing small

• 24 Curriers Lane, Shifnal – David Holloway – M&S Taylor Builders
• Brew House Cottages, Frankwell, Shrewsbury – Ian Ellis Ltd – J R Slee
• Land at former Oakengates Nursery, Hartshill, Oakengates – Central
• Design Consultants – O Connell Construction

1b – New housing medium/large

• Manor Farm, Childs Ercall, Shrewsbury – David Owen Associates – Hawk Developments
• Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shrewsbury – Glen Howells Architects – Bullock Construction
• St Julians Friars, Shrewsbury – Development Design Partnership – Fletcher Homes

2a – Domestic conversion

• Links Barn, Ellerton Road, Hinstock – Rodney Bellamy Associates – M & G Builders
• Pentre Morgan Farm, St Martins, Oswestry – David Owen Associates – Maneaton Homes
• The Old Stable Block, Spring Village, Horsehay – Architectural Design Consultancy – Mark Brazier

2b – Domestic extension

• 37 Kennedy Road, Kingsland, Shrewsbury – Moss & Co – CS Towers
• 44 Lincoln Hill, Ironbridge – Base Architecture – Coalbrookdale Builders
• 5 Fellows Close, Little Dawley – Foresite Architectural – S. P. McNally

3a – Best community building

• Festival Centre, Market Drayton – Hughes & Abbott – J Harper & Sons
• Park Lane, Woodside, Telford – McPhillips – McPhillips
• Ryton Village Hall, Ryton, Shrewsbury – Richard Pidduck – JR Slee Ltd

3b – Best educational building

• Whitchurch Infant School, Whitchurch – Shropshire Council – West RT
• Wombridge Primary School, Hartshill, Oakengates – Telford & Wrekin Council – Pryce Builders
• Woodlands Road, Lightmoor, Telford – Telford & Wrekin Council – Clegg Construction

4 – Best commercial building

• Blists Hill Museum,Legges Way, Ironbridge – Osbornes Chartered Architect – Mansell Construction Services
• Land off Darby Road, Coalbrookdale – Arrol and Snell – S. P. McNally
• Dementia Unit, Uplands Nursing Home, Shrewsbury – Munro Associates – SJ Roberts Construction

5 – Best Innovative/Sustainable building

• Land off Darby Road, Coalbrookdale – Arrol and Snell – SP McNally
• Manor Farm, Childs Ercall, Shrewsbury – David Owen Associates – Hawk Developments
• Ryton Village Hall, Ryton, Shrewsbury – Richard Pidduck – JR Slee Ltd

6 – Best small builder

• Graham Handley Builders
• Mike Speed Builders
• Steve McNally
• CS Towers
• Green Oak
• Kevin Pearce

7 – Best Partnership

• Base Architecture and Design
• David Owen Associates
• Simon Angell

Councillor Malcolm Price, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for planning and housing, said:

“Council building control is all about excellence achieved through building standards, technical innovation and sustainable designs. These awards provide the opportunity to recognise and reward such excellence in Shropshire.

“The building control teams from each of the former district and borough councils coming together under Shropshire Council gave us a great opportunity to run the building excellence awards in Shropshire for the first time. We’re delighted to be working with colleagues at Telford & Wrekin Council and that we attracted a high level of interest from across the whole county.”