RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE YEAR WINNER – TAPLOW RIVERSIDE


The three contenders were:


• Drayton Garden Village – Inland Homes – a sustainable mixed-use community on the former RAF West Drayton.


• Rotherfield Garth – Spitfire – an exclusive enclave of beautifully crafted executive homes in Henley.


• Taplow Riverside – Berkeley Homes – the transformation of a waterfront area near Maidenhead.


NatWest real estate director Richard Burt awarded the winner for its “exciting new development of houses, apartments, and penthouses.” Berkeley Homes senior land manager Caroline McHardy was rightly proud and delighted. “I can’t believe it. This award is fantastic, amazing.”


Pop stars, a president and our prize-winner


Berkeley Homes winning Taplow Riverside redevelopment site by the Thames and Jubilee River, previously housed a former London-Bath coaching inn that later became the popular Skindles Hotel with its equally well-known Valbonne Nightclub. In its heyday the hotel played host to US president Richard Nixon, the Rolling Stones and John Lennon. Following the hotel’s decline and closure, the site near the A4 Thames bridge had been seeking a fresh future for decades. Berkeley Homes bought it in 2014.


Something of a Tardis?


“People don’t realise from the A4 that the site is in fact much larger than it appears – it’s a kilometre long stretch of the riverbank (from


HOUSEBUILDER OF THE YEAR WINNER – BEWLEY HOMES


Maidenhead Bridge towards Boulters Lock) extending to approximately 42 acres.


“The former hotel and paper-mill had been derelict for years, but now we are transforming the site into an attractive place to live with 211 new homes near meadows, plenty of river views and new footpath access links,” explained Caroline McHardy.


Berkeley Home’s joint venture with National Grid also enabled the removal of a gasholder providing additional space for homes and enhanced landscaped environs. Overall, the redevelopment will deliver new homes, offices, boatyard, marina, pedestrian footbridge across the River Thames, and a riverside restaurant at the former Skindles location.


Sponsored by:


Sponsored by:


“a developer with a reputation for quality, strong principles and community support – Bewley Homes.”


The Bewley ethos


Bewley is currently constructing schemes in Crowthorne, Sonning Common and Reading. As a local company, Bewley communicates with the communities in which it builds, and contributes to local councils to assist with infrastructure, as well as raising money for charities. Bewley is also donating life-saving defibrillators in key Thames Valley public spaces.


A cohesive and winning approach


Next, up came a prized title within the property sector – Housebuilder of the Year


The shortlisted builders were:


• Bewley Homes – a local company, with a strong community ethos, building quality homes across the Thames Valley.


• Inland Homes – headquartered in Amersham, a specialist urban regeneration developer, dedicated to achieving excellence in sustainability and design.


• Spitfire Bespoke Homes – the southern division produces bespoke, individually crafted homes across the region, and is growing fast.


Pitmans Law partner Andrew Davies announced the winner as 18 businessmag.co.uk


Bewley Homes won the same title in 2014. Neil Simpson, sales and marketing director highlighted the Bewley Homes way of winning.


“We are a privately-funded company founded by Colin Brooks, who retired last year after the company celebrated its 25th anniversary. His son Andrew has taken over the family business and built a strong and capable team around him. We work hard, play hard and have a very integrated approach to all of our opportunities and ventures; a cohesive approach to everything we do.


“We are often perceived as operating at the higher end of the market, but we have actually made a conscious decision to build larger schemes that maintain our standards of quality. Among our peer groups, we can compete on 100-plus unit schemes, as we feel we put in a little bit more landscaping, enhancement and finesse than the national housebuilders.”


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – JUNE 2017


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