WhatHouse? Award Winners 2023: Weston Homes

Weston Homes is celebrating after being presented with the Gold award for Best Medium Housebuilder at the 2023 What House? Awards for the second year running, and the Gold award for Best Sustainable Development for its Abbey Quay development, and Silver for Best Starter Home Scheme for its Springfield Park development in Maidstone.

The WhatHouse? Awards is the country’s largest event that celebrates new homes and is a fantastic annual celebration of some of the very best the property industry has to offer. 

The ‘Best Medium Housebuilder’ award this year drew a large number of high-quality entrants and Weston Homes emerged victorious for the second year running. According to the judges report: “Weston Homes charts a hybrid path through the construction process, drawing on the heritage and experience of nearly 40 years of Weston Homes, augmented by its incredibly bold and ground-breaking British Offsite factory business.” 

The judges also noted how Weston Homes demonstrates its commitment to eco and impact initiatives through its emphasis on fabric first and a goal to achieve net-zero status by 2040. The judges report goes on to state how placemaking, community building, and a diverse housing portfolio, reflect its core values, alongside a prioritisation for employee well-being with robust team ethics, welfare programs, and training initiatives. Additionally, Weston Homes actively engages as an industry advocate, fearlessly questioning and challenging policymakers, while passionately contributing to addressing the housing crisis.

Weston Homes also won the Gold award for ‘Best Sustainable Development’ for its £350m (GDV) 6-acre riverside urban village Abbey Quay in Barking which offers a collection of 1,089 new one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments of mixed tenure, alongside 22,281 sq ft of commercial and leisure space. The development focuses on town centre regeneration, job creation, and sustainable, inclusive communities to meet climate change targets. Aligned with the council's goal to be carbon neutral by 2030, Weston Homes implements a fabric-first construction process using British Offsite's UniPanel system, exceeding U values for the Future Homes Standard. 

Biodiversity is promoted with support for natural habitats along the River Roding, green and brown roofs, energy-efficient homes with photovoltaic roof panels, and a combined heat and power plant at Abbey Quay for cost-effective, low-carbon heating.

In addition, Weston Homes was also awarded Silver for ‘Best Starter Home Scheme’ for its Maidstone development Springfield Park.  Springfield Park, is a popular development for first-time buyers, offering one- to three-bedroom apartments starting at £268,000, with over 90% already sold. Conveniently located near Maidstone East station, it provides a 57-minute commute to London Victoria and quick access to M20 and M25. 

Bob Weston, chairman and managing director of Weston Homes says: “Weston Homes has established a reputation for high quality design and build standards, delivered with a passionate desire to make a genuine difference to the lives of customers and to leave a legacy as recognised by the WhatHouse Awards? And of which we are justly proud.”

Suzanne Aplin, group sales and marketing director at Weston Homes says: “At Weston Homes, our commitment to excellence is unwavering. Receiving prestigious accolades at the WhatHouse? Awards reaffirms our dedication to high-quality design, sustainable development, and customer satisfaction. These awards are a testament to the collective passion and effort invested in every project, reflecting our mission to create homes that leave a lasting, positive impact on the lives of our customers”.

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