Three Suffolk building projects have been nominated for prestigious national awards.
The projects, all of which were contributed to by Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils' building control team, have already won three regional awards in the annual Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards – and will now move on to the national final in London in January 2023.
The three finalists are Angel Court, Hadleigh – for Best Small Social Housing Development, The Regal, Stowmarket – for Best Non-residential Extension or Alteration, and Low Street, Glemsford – for Best Small New Housing Development.
At Angel Court, a former residential home has been turned into 21 new flats.
Babergh cabinet member for planning, councillor Clive Arthey, said: "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 project between Stowmarket Town Council and Mid Suffolk District Council.
The scheme saw two new screens added and a full refurbishment of the site - including accessibility retrofitting to improve access for those with disabilities.
Mid Suffolk cabinet member for planning, councillor David Burn, said: “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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