Three awards handed out to building control team

Angel Court, in Hadleigh. Photo: Babergh District Council.

Three regional awards have been won by Babergh and Mid Suffolk in the annual Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards, and move onto the national final in London, in January 2023.

The three finalists are:

  • Best Small Social Housing Development – Angel Court, Hadleigh.
  • Best Non-residential Extension or Alteration – Regal, Stowmarket.
  • Best Small New Housing Development – Low Street, Glemsford.

The councils’ Building Control Team was also “Highly Commended” in the Extension category for their work supporting the extension and renovation of a 1930s bungalow in Newton.

BMSDC Building Control ensures home improvements and developments in the districts are in line with the UK’s building regulations. The team can also advise planning applicants on all parts of their builds to make sure they are to the highest professional and environmental standards.

The former residential home in Angel Court, also owned by Babergh District Council, is now 21 new flats offering homes for rent and affordable shared ownership options for households most in need.

The project for Babergh District Council was designed by Ingleton Wood and built by Pentaco Construction, with the team advising both to ensure sustainability and the council’s high social housing standards were at the centre of the project.

Clive Arthey, Babergh cabinet member for Planning, said: “High-quality housing is crucial in our mission as a local authority to create communities people are proud to call home. These nominations are well-deserved recognition of our Building Control Team’s tireless work in the districts, with Angel Court a prime example of their expertise in action. The new flats are finished to a fantastic standard and provide more homes in the middle of one of our market towns. Angel Court would make a worthy winner at the Building Excellence awards, as will all our nominees.”

The renovation of the Regal cinema, in Stowmarket, was a joint effort between Stowmarket Town Council and Mid Suffolk District Council. The extensive project saw the character of the 1930s cinema maintained, with two new screens added in sympathetically designed extensions, as well as a raft of accessibility retrofitting to allow access for those with disabilities before the theatre re-opened its doors in May 2021.

David Burn, Mid Suffolk cabinet member for Planning, added: “To have aided the completion of the Regal in just 15 months despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its schedule, without compromising on the finish of the building, is a remarkable achievement. The importance of maintaining our building regulations cannot be overstated and often goes uncelebrated in the construction process. The work of our Building Control Team means our planning applications, from home extensions to developers building dozens of homes, receive the scrutiny they needed to provide security to our residents. I wish our team the best of luck at the LABC awards in January.”

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