Places To Live, Work & Play Win ProCon Awards 2013

New and reinvented places to live, work and play have triumphed in the 2013 ProCon property and construction awards, revealed at the Gala Awards Ceremony on November 14.

Leicester projects dominate, winning five of the six categories covering residential and non-residential projects, regeneration schemes and the greenest new buildings in Leicestershire and Rutland.

It’s the 11th year of the prestigious ProCon Awards, sponsored by Westleigh Developments, Salus Approved Inspectors and Gateley.

The winners are:

• Belgrave Riverside – Phase 1: Small & Medium Residential Scheme, sponsored by Marrons Shakespeares
• The Summit, Eastern Boulevard, Leicester: Large Residential Scheme, sponsored by Marrons Shakespeares
• Silver Arcade, Leicester: Small Non-residential Scheme, sponsored by Willmott Dixon
• Manor Road Sports Facility, University of Leicester: Large Non-Residential Scheme Award, sponsored by Willmott Dixon:
• Makers Yard, Leicester: Regeneration Project, sponsored by the Leicester Mercury
• Pear Tree Office Park, Ratby: Sustainable Development

The winners were revealed on November 14 at a ceremony attended by more than 690 business professionals at Leicester Tigers’ Welford Road stadium. A raffle raised more than £6,000 for the Leicester charity Warning Zone.

Pam Allardice, ProCon chair, said: “On behalf of the ProCon members I congratulate all the winners of this year's ProCon Awards and thank everyone who put in applications. There was very stiff competition in all categories.”

The winners in detail:

Belgrave Riverside – Phase 1 is on the former British Union Shoe Machinery (BUSM) head office on Ross Walk, Leicester. They are Whetstone-based Westleigh Developments’ most energy efficient private sale homes in the region to date, each benefitting from solar heated water.
Chris Beighton, managing director at Westleigh Developments, said: “We are very proud that Belgrave Riverside has been recognised. We would like to thank the members of ProCon for voting for this development and also congratulate the other projects that were selected as finalists.”

The Summit, Eastern Boulevard features a 22 storey, 66 metre high, elliptical tower. A new landmark building for Leicester, The Summit’s tower and adjacent blocks contain 369 rooms of student accommodation – all of which have been snapped up.
Fergus Lowe, associate director at Maber Architects, said: “To have The Summit judged by one’s peers and come out on top at these ProCon Awards is both extremely humbling and satisfying. We worked hard to ensure The Summit makes a positive contribution to the city skyline.”

Silver Arcade, Leicester, is believed to be the only four-storey shopping arcade of its type in the country, Silver Arcade has been given a new lease of life with a £2.9m modernisation sympathetic to the original 1899 building, retaining and restoring most of the original features.
Fergus Shaw, director of Silver Arcade’s engineer Diamond Wood and Shaw, said: “The beautifully restored Silver Arcade is a real jewel in our retail sector. Lukegate has rejuvenated a magnificent, rare and important historical building and re-incorporated it as valued retail space within the city centre.”

Manor Road Sports Facility is the University of Leicester’s new sports facility in Oadby and includes a 25 metre swimming pool, spa, large gym, studio and changing facilities. The development links with an existing sports hall and team changing facilities through a new shared reception area.

Makers Yard, Leicester, offers ten workspaces for people who make things, from furniture designers to textile artists, in the heart of Leicester’s cultural quarter. The Grade II Listed former hosiery buildings are thought to be the first of their kind in Leicester and the oldest surviving in the region.
Paul East, director at Maber Architects, said: “Morgan Sindall, Leicester City Council and Maber Architects are proud to have been part of the team who delivered a key asset for the creative industries within an important regeneration area of Leicester.”

Pear Tree Office Park, Ratby, is fuelled by a biomass boiler burning woodchips from willow grown less than a kilometre away. The nine office and light industrial units have large windows flooding the working areas with daylight, whilst shading reduces overheating during summer.
John Cawrey, managing director of the developer Cawrey, said: “The construction of Pear Tree Office Park has taught us a huge amount about sustainable building and the ProCon Award is a real bonus.”