South Coast: Awards honour cream of region's property sector

Winner by number of deals and by sq ft: Lambert Smith Hampton

“We’re absolutely thrilled to win. We work really closely as a team and have a very collaborative approach. It’s not about individuals, it’s about all of us putting our skill sets together, delivering something special for our clients, and providing the best service we can.”
Elise Evans, associate director, Lambert Smith Hampton

Finalists by number of deals:

• Goadsby
• Vail Williams LLP (Inc Hughes Ellard)

Finalists by Sq Ft:

• Hellier Langston
• JLL

Winner by number of deals and by sq ft: Vail Williams (Inc Hughes Ellard)

“Our team grew in the year following a merger and we also benefited from a transformation in the Solent office market. There’s now some decent offices here, which is attracting big corporates. Flagship instructions for us included Lakeside North Harbour and the University of Southampton Science Park. Both these clients epitomise the office market in the Solent. We’re really proud to be part of it.”
Russell Miller, partner, Vail Williams

Finalists by number of deals:

• Goadsby
• Lambert Smith Hampton

Finalists by Sq Ft:

• CBRE
• Lambert Smith Hampton

Winner: Lakeside North Harbour

“Over the last 10 to 12 years we’ve transformed an anonymous former IBM HQ into a multi-let business campus. We wanted to create an open, welcoming and friendly business park. Lakeside North Harbour attracts local SMEs and national corporates who have embraced the scheme and made it a really vibrant place. It provides an appealing centre in the area and is a great business community.”
Nick Turner, asset management director, Northwood Investors

Other finalist:

• University of Southampton Science Park (USSP)

Winner: HPW Architecture for Network Eagle Lab

“We’re blown away to have won. This was the first Network Eagle Lab that Barclays hadn’t designed themselves. We designed it on behalf of our client, Southampton City Council, and it has been very well received. We transformed dead space to create a flexible workspace that gives a real boost to university leavers, entrepreneurs and business start-ups. Barclays is pleased with the result – every time I go to the Lab I see their staff using it as well.”
Alex Urquhart, director, HPW Architecture

Finalists:

• Mayflower Theatre
• One Dorset Street
• SO Fourteen

Winner: Moore Blatch

“We’re delighted and proud to win against other really good firms in this category. During the year we moved to a new flagship office in Chandler’s Ford, our team has grown, and we’ve taken on new clients. The office move, in particular, has had a good effect on morale and our business culture and it is a great place to bring clients. Among the highlights of the year was our strong residential development work, where we’ve had some good client wins.”
Stephen Ball, head of land development, Moore Blatch

Finalists:

• Dutton Gregory
• Foot Anstey
• Steele Raymond

Winner: Vail Williams 

“We’ve been involved with Northwood Investors and Highcross on Lakeside North Harbour since its inception. We’re proud to have gone from having a very large vacant office in a recession to what it is now – like a mini city. It shows you what momentum can do. It’s a fantastic place to work – we’re based there, so are lots of our clients. It’s great for Portsmouth as well, it’s a flagship location.”
Russell Miller, partner, Vail Williams

Finalists:

• Lambert Smith Hampton
• Rekan

Winner – Commercial: Brockhurst Gate Retail Park, Gosport – Millngate

“We’re absolutely over the moon to win. This was a challenging project. It included relocating 80 common lizards and slowworms, which was a first for us. The buildings had to be a lot stronger than normal, with more steel and cladding, in case of potential blasts from the adjoining MoD land. Attracting Marks & Spencer to Gosport was quite a feather in our cap. Sadly, our development consultant Tony Cotsworth died just before the project was completed. Without his driving influence Brockhurst Gate wouldn’t have happened. We named the retail park’s access road after him.”
Tony Sweeney, managing director, Millngate

Finalists – Commercial:

• Evolution 50, Andover – LSH/Kier Property
• Skyline, Bournemouth – Ridge and Partners LLP

Winner – Residential: Augustus Park – Pennyfarthing Homes

“We’re thrilled to win. The most pleasing thing is that this award is confirmation we can transfer our approach of delivering high-quality homes on bigger sites. Augustus Park is 145 units and we’ve just started on another project with 230 homes. We worked closely with the Fordingbridge community, including sponsoring its town festival. We are all local people ourselves and want to do projects we are proud of when we drive past them. Augustus Park proves there is a market for projects where attention to detail and quality are important.”
Matt Dukes, managing director, Pennyfarthing Homes

Finalists – Residential:

• Luscombe – David James Architects & Partners
• Meridian Waterside – Inland Homes
• Nautilus – Crayfern Homes
• Replacement Chalet Bungalow – Critchley Architecture and Design
• The Valley – Snug Architects

Winner: Marchwood Power Station

“We acted for local property company Oceanic Estates on the freehold sale of the power station to Marchwood Power and SSE. It was an unusual and fairly complex deal, as we had to convince investors that it is a clean source of energy with a long-term future – we’re told this is the most efficient gas-powered station in the UK. We also negotiated a rent review that uplifted the deal to get the best value for our client.”
Jerry Vigus, director of capital market, Lambert Smith Hampton

Finalists:

• Alpha Park
• Letting of One Lansdowne Plaza
• Oceana House

Winner: Paul Basham Associates

“We’re really overwhelmed to win this award. In the last 12 months there has been a huge change in the company. As well as our home region, we have opened up in Oxford, Bristol and Cambridge. We have worked hard on our business structure and the support we give staff, including our graduate programme. We always aim to promote from within. A lot of our success is due to our clients, where we add value to some fantastic projects.”
Paul Basham, managing director, Paul Basham Associates

Finalists:

• AJ Developments
• Imperial Homes South

Winner: Highwood Homes

“This is a great result for us. And it’s great that our project at North Stoneham Park, for 1,100 units, has been recognised. It’s our biggest project to date and we’re about half way through at the moment. We also work on a number of other residential and care home projects across the south coast region. We’ve grown a lot in the last four or five years and now have 64 staff based in Romsey.”
Elliot Lord, commercial director, Highwood Homes

Finalists:

• Churchill Retirement Living
• Crayfern Homes
• Fox Homes
• Inland Homes

Winner: Goldsmith Avenue, Portsmouth – VIVID

“We’re absolutely delighted to win. There were lots of challenges to deal with on this project, including nearby Victorian terraced housing, the football club and a railway line. The architecture for the two apartment blocks is very interesting and contemporary for its location. We delivered affordable housing that is environmentally friendly, working very closely with HGP Architects and building contractor PMC.”
Mike shepherd, development director, VIVID

Finalists:

• Braxell’s Farm – Imperial Homes South
• Chapel Riverside – Inland Homes
• Network Eagle Lab – HPW Architecture

Winner: Noviun Architects

“Noviun Architects are delighted to have been awarded the South Coast Property Awards Architectural Practice of the Year 2019. We continually strive to be at the forefront of our industry in terms of our people and our technology, regularly investing in both to drive us forward as a business. We couldn’t provide our high level of service without our people so it is great for the whole team to receive the recognition of this award.”
Matt Golds, director, Noviun Architects

Finalists:

• ARC Architecture
• ArchitecturePLB
• Boyle+Summers
• Snug Architects

Winner: Eastleigh

“For a town like Eastleigh to win this award is an outstanding achievement. We are so proud. We’re delighted because Eastleigh is a small town with big town ambitions. Our communities work together on the town’s regeneration and this is linked to our latest five-year BID, which businesses overwhelmingly supported, that will see over £1m invested in Eastleigh. The Borough Council and BID team worked side by side to achieve this success.”
Teresa Swan, Eastleigh BID, Liz Suatt, Eastleigh Borough Council, Dylan Chandler, Eastleigh BID chairman

Finalists:

• Chichester
• BCP ( Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole)
• Southampton

Winner: Gary Jeffries 

Judges’ comments: The award goes to someone who has been a major player in the south coast property market for over 25 years. Not only is he the partner of a leading firm, he is at the forefront of shaping the economic development agenda in Hampshire and has led negotiations with Government for the region’s £150m Growth Deal.

His expertise spans commercial and residential sectors, including property acquisition and disposal, and dispute resolution. A fellow of the RICS, chairman of the Solent LEP, and a partner at Vail Williams.

The award was received in Gary Jeffries absence by Matthew Samuel-Camps, managing partner, Vail Williams.

“I’m humbled to have won. I couldn’t have achieved this without our fantastic teams at Vail Williams. So I’m really pleased to accept the award on their behalf. It’s a great honour. Thank you.”
Gary Jeffries, partner, Vail Williams