The Building Control team at East Cambridgeshire District Council are celebrating after picking up two national awards at the recent LABC Building Excellence Awards held at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
The awards, which promote excellence and innovation in the building industry are open to over 200 local authorities across England and Wales.
The Building Control team was successful, firstly with their collaboration with Pymoor-based builder Paul Barrow, who was named Best Local Builder and secondly through their work with local architects Gary Johns Ltd for the extension and conversion project at St Mary’s Surgery in Ely, which scooped best non-residential extension/alteration project.
In total the team were nominated for six awards including Local Authority Building Control team of the year.
Craig Smith, Building Control Manager at the council, said: “To win one national award is hard enough, but to get two at the same awards is outstanding.
“We have now won national awards in three consecutive years.
“It is down to forging great working relationships with architects, builders and clients. The team deserve a lot of credit for their customer service approach and technical expertise.”
Paul Barrow, of Paul Barrow Builders from Pymoor, near Ely won the Best Residential and Small Commercial Builder at the recent LABC Building Excellence Awards.
The judges commented that Paul was the epitome of a local builder, consistently busy with a project schedule often booked more than 12 months in advance, nearly all of which is within 10 miles of his Little Downham base.
Speaking on what inspires him, Paul said: “This is the culmination of 17 years blood, sweat and tears running my own company. There have been plenty of highs and lows throughout that time and to be recognised in this way by industry professionals really does mean the world.
“This recognition is the result of having a great team around me, both in terms of the staff who carry out the work with me as well as my family, offering support and guidance in the tough times. The local community is at the heart of everything we do, and I’m pleased the judges were able to see and acknowledge that.”
Craig Smith, Head of Building Control at East Cambs District Council who nominated Paul for the award, said “Paul’s consistent drive for quality and ensuring the customer is happy made him the perfect candidate for this award. He engages constantly with building control, making sure what he’s planning to do meets the building regs. The collaborative partnership we’ve built up over the years means potential issues are always ironed out before they become a problem. He is a worthy winner of this award.”
The LABC network is made up of more than 200 Local Authorities across the whole of England and Wales delivering Building Control to local communities.