Scott Wright
A MODERN apartment block in the heart of Glasgow’s west end was revealed as the best development in Scotland at The Herald Property Awards 2015 last night.
The Observatory on Highburgh Road, by Red Eye Developments with CCG, was one of 13 properties honoured in a ceremony at the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow.
The awards, held in association with law firm Burness Paull, saw prizes handed to properties around Scotland.
Entries had been received from properties the length and breadth of the country, from John O’Groats in the north to Dumfries in the south west.
Scott Peterkin of headline sponsor Burness Paull said: “It has been a pleasure to be involved with The Herald Property Awards this year. The calibre of entrants, quality of winners and variety of projects showcased really does demonstrate how much Scotland’s property sector has to celebrate.”
Among the big winners on the night was Morgan McDonnell Architecture, which lifted two awards. It took the Best Apartment title and Best Renovation/Conversion for two developments on Edinburgh’s Queen Street.
It was also an evening to savour for Stirling-based Robertson Homes.
The company, part of the Robertson Group, triumphed in the Best Luxury Home category, for developers building more than 50 units a year, for its Orchard Row Townhouse at Abbey Park in St Andrews.
Brian Fulton, director at award sponsor Ross and Liddell, said: “We extend our congratulations to this year’s winners and those entrants who received commendations.
“This year’s entries displayed the depth of talent that exists within the building and professional sector involved in Scotland’s property industry.”
Robertson was commended in the Best Show Home category. That was won by Glasgow-based Westpoint Homes, which also received a commendation in the Best Apartment category.
Gary Daw, managing director of Best Show Home sponsor Daw Signs, said: “I would like to congratulate Westpoint Homes on winning the Best Show Home category, which we are proud to sponsor. Presentation is so important and Westpoint Homes consistently produce great work and this reward is in recognition of that.”
Macleod Lettings took the award for residential letting team of the year. Jen Paice, chief executive of sponsor SafeDeposits Scotland, hailed the team as an “outstanding example of agents working to develop Scotland’s private letting sector.”
Stewart Milne Homes Central Scotland won the award for Best Regeneration Project for its work at Sunnymead in Uddingston. Congratulating the winner, Alex McGuire of award sponsor Wheatley Group said the “quality and scope of the entries was outstanding”.
Bellway Homes celebrated as was named Property Team of the Year, emerging victorious in a category which Keith Benzie of sponsor Space & Time Media said had attracted an “extremely high” standard of entries. Mr Benzie praised the “strong team ethic” of the Bellway team.
McEwan Fraser Legal tasted success as the Residential Team of the Year, with their win described by Jonathan Riley of sponsor Rettie & Co as a “massive achievement”. He said the firm had overcome “stiff competition and very able competitors” to lift the prize.
The award for Best Family Home, for developers building more than 50 units a year, went to Bett Homes for The Rosebury in Newton Mearns. Farooq Ali, of sponsor Morale Home Furnishings, congratulated Bett and the other finalists in the category,
The other winners on the night included Oakridge Group/Fjordhus, which took the award for Individual New Build of Small Development for The Gardens in Rutherford, West Linton.
Glasgow Housing Association won the Affordable Housing Development of the Year award for Croftfoot St Julie’s in Glasgow, and Miller Developments took the Commercial Project title for GDF Suez in Aberdeen. That award was sponsored by Burness Paull.
The Development of the Year Award, won by Red Eye Developments with CCG, was sponsored by Scotland’s Homes.