The new homes division of Carlisle-based Story Group also won the award for the Best Medium-sized Development of the Year, for Sydney Gardens in Lockerbie and was highly commended in the Large Development section for Summerpark in Dumfries.
The Premier Guarantee Excellence Awards 2011 are designed to recognise the very best of the UK housing market and inspire others in building outstanding developments. Premier Guarantee provides structural warranties, building control and developer support services. Since 1997, the company has arranged cover for over £30bn of developments across the UK, Ireland and Spain.
For 2011 the awards received a record breaking number of nominations in the five years of the Excellence Awards. Out of a potential 2,500 candidates, 165 nominees were selected for short-listing and to claim the top prize of Developer of the Year, Story Group beat off intense competition from some of the UK’s biggest house builders.
Story Group Chief Executive Fred Story said he was delighted with the awards which recognise both the excellence of the homes built by the company, and the high standards set by the company itself in carrying out its operations.
He commented: “The construction sector has been going through an incredibly tough period and nowhere more so than house building. But as a company we are demonstrating that if you maintain your standards and refuse to compromise on the service you provide to your customers, you can still succeed. I have an incredibly talented and hard-working team and they can all be proud of this award and what it says about their efforts every day.
“We have gone head to head with some of the UK’s leading companies in the new homes sector, and we have been honoured as the best.”
Summerpark in Dumfries already holds the accolade of being home to “the best house in Scotland” as the Scottish Homes Award winner last year. The latest phase offers a choice of three bedroom semi-detached and three and four bedroom detached houses.
Sydney Gardens in Lockerbie is an attractive development of 41 properties, comprising of 3 and 4-bedroom houses.