WhatHouse? Award Winners 2023: Orbit Homes & Wates

Affordable housebuilder Orbit Homes and major construction company Wates are celebrating after being presented with the Gold award for Best Partnership Scheme at the 2023 What House? Awards, in recognition of their regeneration of Park East in Erith.

The Award – one of the most prestigious in the UK housebuilding industry – was presented following completion of a £120million scheme which was the latest phase by the two organisations of a wider initiative to regenerate two estates in Erith in the London Borough of Bexley.

Between the two phases, around 900 households have been moved from substandard accommodation and a similar number of new homes for market sale, rent and Shared Ownership have been built under the partnership.

The judges praised the collaborative approach in delivering a thoughtfully designed scheme, with a high level of specification and architectural detail, as well as the palpable community feel that has been generated at what is an exemplar of estate regeneration.

Group director of Orbit Homes, Helen Moore, commented: “I’m extremely proud of this award. To be presented with the Gold Award for Best Partnership alongside Wates is an outstanding achievement.

“The award is a real testament to how partnership working and a shared commitment to providing high-quality affordable homes can help to transform estates previously dominated by poor quality, ageing housing into vibrant and attractive, mixed-tenure communities.

“Park East and its neighbouring Erith Park are now safe and inclusive communities providing high-quality, energy-efficient homes. It’s wonderful to see the team’s shared vision and seamless partnership in creating a place people are proud to call home achieve recognition with this award.”

Helen Rieman, business growth director at Wates, said: “Creating genuine partnerships is what we strive to achieve – to work with deprived and wanting communities, to create not just better homes but a better living environment in all ways. We are very proud of our collaboration with Orbit and to win this Gold award from WhatHouse? is the culmination of a strong and enduring partnership between our teams.

“The integration with all stakeholders and ensuring that we have a supply chain that is aligned to our and our partners’ values, are all important ingredients to creating a successful new development. At Park East, we have taken an area and a community that needed support and investment, through a journey which has delivered them a well-connected and quality new place to call home.”

Find out more at.www.orbithomes.org.uk and wates.co.uk.

Find out more about all winners at the WhatHouse? Awards 2023.