WhatHouse? Awards 2020 Winner: Places For People
Entries are coming in for the WhatHouse? Awards 2021 but we thought we’d speak to some of last year’s winners about what success means to them and to current and future house-hunters.
Here, we talk to Places for People’s group director of marketing, Deborah Owen-Ellis Clark, talks about what winning six WhatHouse? Awards in 2020.
Congratulations on winning a WhatHouse? Award in 2020. What does the Award mean for your customers?
We were delighted to have received six awards in the WhatHouse? 2020 Awards. This is a real testament to the hard work and dedication of our teams across the UK, who are committed to creating high-quality places and homes. These awards will give our customers the confidence that our homes are being built to the very best standards and offer something special.
How is the category you won significant for your company and the wider industry?
We received Silver award for Best Large Housebuilder, with the judges impressed by our commitment to building energy-efficient homes and pioneering new construction technologies. We also stood out for our investment in customer service and streamlining the home-buying process for customers.
Winning Silver for Best Regeneration Scheme at Port Loop in Birmingham acknowledges how the scheme’s new homes, workspaces, parks and community facilities are challenging the existing standards surrounding how people live. Silver and Bronze awards were bestowed for the ‘traditional detailing’ and ‘high-quality finishes’ of our boutique homes at Tornagrain, near Inverness, while another Scottish development – Edinburgh’s 55 Degrees North – scooped a Bronze award for its ‘clever use of light’ and ‘additional space’. We were also delighted to be awarded Bronze for Best Public Realm for Brooklands Square, whose mixed-use centre of new homes complemented by an extensive array of local facilities in Milton Keynes – is the epitome of placemaking.
Tornagrain
What are the key qualities that led to you entering?
The WhatHouse? Awards have been a symbol of prestige and excellence for the last 40 years. Attracting competition from across the country, these awards recognise developers nationwide, so we are honoured to have been so highly regarded for our work.
It must have been satisfying for everyone at the company – does your achievement help to retain and attract the best people to the team?
This is real testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, who are committed to creating high-quality places and the very best homes for our customers.
Did you find it easy to submit an entry?
Yes – we found the process easy to follow. We pride ourselves on submitting the best possible entries, and of course this takes a dedicated team to pull everything together.
Do you have any current developments in mind to enter into the 2021 Awards?
Yes – our teams are working hard on producing a number of entries for 2021.
Find out about current Places for People developments.