Midhurst housing site recognised with top building award
A Midhurst housing development has been given national recognition after impressing judges in a prestigious building competition.
Housebuilder Bellway’s Perceval Grange development in Midhurst has been given a major boost after site manager Justine Hope received a Pride in the Job Quality Award from the National House Building Council (NHBC).
The accolade recognises the high standard of construction at the development, with Justine named among just 450 winners chosen from more than 8,000 site managers inspected across the UK in the past year.
Justine, who joined Bellway in 2019 after moving to the UK from Australia, said: “I am ecstatic about winning this award. When I read the email from the NHBC telling me I had won I gasped and my assistant site manager Amy Somerville, who knew I had been waiting on notification that morning, instantly knew. She looked at me, stood up and said: ’We’ve won.’
“We immediately went about telling everyone on the site the good news. This really is a success for the entire team. My name is on the award, but we all played our part in achieving this and I am lucky to be leading such a great bunch of people, which includes the sales team, the trades people, the project team and the technical and commercial department.”
She added that the success is particularly meaningful as Perceval Grange is the first development she has overseen from start to finish.
“Perceval Grange is my baby,” she said. “I was here at the beginning and aim to be here at the end. Blood, sweat and tears, and yes, lots of love, have gone into the work on this site.
“My style of leadership is to work hard, to listen, to solve problems, to ensure that everyone knows exactly what they are doing and to help them reach their potential on the job. That way we are always striving for excellence, to do the best we can every day.”
The Pride in the Job awards involve a rigorous judging process, with site managers assessed on consistency, attention to detail, leadership, technical expertise and health and safety.
Leon Taylor, Head of Construction at Bellway South London, said: “As you can see from the number of sites that are judged nationally, winning this award is no mean feat. The NHBC Quality Award is recognition of a job very well done and is universally respected throughout the construction industry as a mark of distinction.
“Justine and her site team should be incredibly proud of this achievement. It is a real testament to their hard work, commitment and attention to detail not to mention the extremely high standards that we set for ourselves throughout the business.”