South Coast Property Awards honour region’s top performers
The leading players in the commercial and residential property community celebrated their achievements at the 2023 South Coast Property Awards. (See the photos from the night here)
Developers, agents, planners, consultants, lawyers and dealmakers at the sixth annual ceremony, headline sponsored by Amiri Construction, were applauded winners in 16 award categories.
The awards are hosted by The Business Magazine and sponsored by AECOM, Biscoes Solicitors, Dutton Gregory Solicitors, Lester Aldridge, MSP Capital, Cobweb, Lloyds Bank, Lambert Smith Hampton, South Coast CPS, Highwood, CoStar and Graitec.
Hosting the awards with great aplomb, comedian, writer, presenter and actor Hal Cruttenden’s humorous anecdotes entertained guests throughout the evening. With his encouragement, guests generously donated over £15,000 during the evening for Hannah’s Holiday Home, a charity that provides fun breaks for children with cancer and life-limiting illnesses and their families. Further donations will come from a silent auction.
And the winners are…
Offices Consultancy of the Year
Winner: Vail Williams
“We’re delighted to win, especially as the award is based on data from CoStar. The office market is still really strong although there has been a flight to quality by businesses. Southampton, in particular, is proving really popular. Major deals for us included Twenty3 Brunswick, which has a BREEAM excellent rating, and we also helped Kingsbridge Estates get Charlotte Place fully let for the first time since it was built 20 years ago.” Russell Mogridge, partner, Vail Williams
Finalists:
• Holloway, Iliffe & Mitchell
• Lambert Smith Hampton
• Myddelton & Major
• Nettleship Sawyer
• Realest
Industrial/Logistics Consultancy of the Year
Winner: Lambert Smith Hampton
Industrial/logistics consultancy of the year
“We take real pride in delivering the best deals for our clients. The market has been pretty stable during the period. There is a consistent lack of supply and the south coast is fairly robust because demand outstrips supply. Rents have gone in the right direction for clients, and on some deals second-hand rents have been similar to new-build rents. One of the highlight deals for us was Dunsbury Park in Havant.” Elise Evans, director, Lambert Smith Hampton
Finalists:
• CBRE
• Holloway, Iliffe & Mitchell
• Myddelton & Major
• Realest
• Vail Williams
Commercial Landlord of the Year
Winner: Kingsbridge Estates
“We have had high occupancy rates and tenant retention, despite Covid-19 and wider economic factors that have made it difficult for tenants. As a landlord, what we do well is to fully engage with occupiers. We regularly speak directly with them and they know that if they have any issues they can approach us. By always knowing what tenants want we can make sure they renew and stay, for example, by helping them downsize in the same building.” Jeremy Sharland, development director, and Rachel Lacklison, asset manager, Kingsbridge Estates
Finalists:
• Portsmouth City Council
• University of Southampton Science Park
Property Law Firm of the Year
Winner: Lester Aldridge
“We’ve seen rapid organic growth over the period by investing in our people. We have a lot of trainee solicitors coming through the ranks, with staff numbers now over 350. I think winning this award shows our ambitions. Our ability to provide fast turnarounds that was noted by the judges is down to understanding each client’s business. One of the standout deals for us in the period was acting for the University of Southampton on a flagship project.” Mark Benham, head of real estate, Lester Aldridge
Finalists:
• Biscoes Solicitors
• Moore Barlow LLP
Regeneration Project of the Year
Winner: West Cliff Mansions – HGP Architects
“This was a four-year project with many challenges to overcome. We had to deal with a negative response from neighbouring residents as we were building on what had been a car park that they didn't want to lose. Many different designs were presented to overcome their concerns. The design is sympathetic to its surroundings and in keeping with the area. We also worked to improve safety and access to a school that was close to the development. Feedback from the occupants has been really positive.” Chris Callard, director, and Richard Abraham, architectural specialist, HGP Architects
Finalists:
• Pro Pods Co-living Rental Accommodations
• Shawford Station Ticket Office – EP Projects
Property Agency of the Year
Winner: Merriebank Lettings & Property Services
“When we set up the business, our objective was to be different from other agencies. We aim to provide a more personal service to tenants and landlords alike. We are also available any hour of the day, which is important. As a family-run business, we all work for each other and bring different skills to the company. We have had a very good year, including picking up one of the Isle of Wight’s biggest developments, which is fantastic for us.” Dean and Sophie Faulkner, owners, Merriebank Lettings & Property Services
Finalists:
• Austin & Wyatt Bournemouth
• Fox & Sons
• Morris Dibben Chandler’s Ford
• Palmer Snell Weymouth
Architectural Practice of the Year
Winner: HNW Architects
“The firm is growing and has opened a new office in Brighton. We looked at how we could build on what we do without fundamentally diluting who we are. Brighton is an exciting move that opens new opportunities for us and enables us to move into new sectors. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve been doing a lot of work on office fit-outs and design. We continue to build our commercial property work on the south coast and to increase our foothold in education. We have a toolkit for net zero carbon, which is the backbone of everything we do.” Steve Duffy, director, HNW Architects
Finalists:
• ARC Architects
• Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt
• HGP Architects
• Noviun
• UX Architects
Property Deal of the Year
Winner: Lush expansion to A1 & A2 Fleets Corner – Vail Williams/Goadsby
Our expansion in Poole reaffirms our status in the local area. We are one of the biggest employers here and this development allows us to consolidate our property portfolio. It means we now have 60% of our factory portfolio in the Fleets Corner estate, where we can build our manufacturing and also support current sales and our projected growth. We are always looking for property opportunities in the local area and have a great working relationship with Vail Williams and Goadsby.” Chase Clark, manufacturing director, Lush
Finalists:
• Lake House Portsmouth Acquisition – Bayshill Properties
• New Lane letting to Amazon – Kingsbridge Estates
Housebuilder of the Year
Winner: Elivia Homes
“It has been a tremendous year for us with our rebranding to create Elivia Homes, buying landmark sites in the region and engaging in negotiations for many more. We have a growth plan to double in size by 2027. We acquired Millwood Homes in the east of the region and are looking to buy more businesses. A commitment to environmental, social and governance issues is also a priority for us, particularly our work supporting people from Ford Prison to get back into work.” Kevin Wawman, Managing Director, Elivia Homes
Finalists:
• AJC Group
• Bargate Homes
• Barratt and David Wilson Homes Southampton
• Dandara
• Metis Homes
Workplace of the Year
Winner: Lakeside North Harbour
“One of the key developments for us this year is commencing the works to install a photovoltaic and battery storage system that will increase our sustainability and significantly reduce the energy bills of our occupiers. Another initiative has been creating the My Lakeside digital platform which enables us to improve our communications with all occupiers. We can let them know immediately about events and activities, as well as all the facilities and amenities available on our 130-acre site.” Emma Parkin, marketing manager, Lakeside North Harbour
Finalists:
• AJC Group
• HGP Architects
• Lloyds Register
• Paul Basham Associates
• Ridge and Partners
Commercial Development of the Year
Winner: New Lane - Kingsbridge Estates
“We worked collaboratively with the local council to help ensure that when Pfizer left New Lane it was replaced by another major company, Amazon. This is a very important site for the local economy, especially through its employment opportunities. Sustainability is also an important consideration and Amazon’s logistics site was developed to handle a fleet of 800 electric vehicles.” Jeremy Sharland, development director, and Chris Fry, chief executive, Kingsbridge Estates
Finalists:
• Adanac North Phase II – Boyle & Summers
• Blue Print Andover – Kier Property
• Christchurch Trade Park
• Portsmouth Audi – HNW Architects
Residential Development of the Year
Winner (large development): Harbour Place – Barratt & David Wilson Homes
One of our biggest priorities on this project was to achieve a biodiversity net gain. We improved the land by 20% and the community now has 30.5 acres to enjoy, with extensive wildlife habitats. Like all projects, there were challenges but we always took on board local residents’ feedback and our priority on sustainability helped to bring down any barriers with them. Relationships with the community are just as important to us as building homes.” Megan Hamlyn, marketing manager, Barratt and David Wilson Homes
Winner (small development): Blake’s View, Lavant – Elivia Homes
“Blakes View in Chichester is just one of the sites that we have had immense pleasure in building. Our Land and Commercial team made it the success it has been and it is for their work that we have won this award.” Kevin Wawman, Managing Director, Elivia Homes
Finalists:
• Madgwick Park – Barratt & David Wilson Homes
• Novo – Dandara Southern
• The Nightingales, Walworth Road – Foreman Homes
• The Sloop, Poole – AJC Group
Fast Rising Property Business of the Year
Winner: Captiva Homes
Finalists:
• Destin 4 Chartered Surveyors
• Paul Basham Associates
Sustainable Development of the Year
Winner: Hawkin’s Field, Fittleworth – Elivia Homes
“We are fortunate to have two prestigious sites within the South Downs National Park and both have proved to be tremendous successes. Winning this award represents the huge effort made by our team not just to achieve the minimum standards at Hawkins Field, but to exceed them.” Kevin Wawman, Managing Director, Elivia Homes
Finalists:
• Herbert Avenue, Poole – AJC Group
• Langstone Park – XLB Property
• Stoneham – Capital Trust Group
Young Property Person of the Year
Winner: Faye Williams – Harrison Clarke
“I’m just finishing my Masters degree dissertation on the education of party wall surveyors and have given up most of my weekends for the last two years, so I’m looking forward to finishing the degree. I chose to get involved in party wall work as this is a very people-centric issue and I found that taking a different approach helps to resolve disputes quickly. Working in the healthcare sector before joining the firm helped my people skills which I now use in developing our culture and approach to customer service.” Faye Williams, senior surveyor, Harrison Clarke
Finalists are:
• Alex Gauntlett – Vail Williams
• Annabel Huffer – Eddisons Incorporating Daniells Harrison
• Seb Janes – AJC Group
• Merrin Kitcher – Scott Bailey
• Connor Taylor-Bargent – Cordage Group
The Mark Vincent Lifetime Achievement Award
Russell Mogridge from Vail Williams
"This was a total surprise. Mark was a friend, so receiving this award was quite emotional for me. The property sector is a people business and Mark and I were always looking for networking opportunities. These connections are invaluable, particularly in commercial property. In this business, you’ve got to be yourself and be open and honest – after all, many clients are with you throughout your career. I also focus on mentoring youngsters coming into the profession and more widely – to inspire them to think about their career opportunities.” Russell Mogridge, partner, Vail Williams
