The WhatHouse? Awards 2023 is fast approaching, with the ‘Oscars of the housebuilding industry’ taking place on 17 November at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London. The best and brightest in the industry are all set to come together to celebrate and see who will be taking home this year’s honours.
As we build towards the big day, we’re taking a look back at last year’s winners, focusing on 2022’s reigning recipient of the coveted ‘Housebuilder of the Year’ award – Berkeley Group.
Berkeley Group, made up of Berkeley Homes, St George, St Edward, St James, St Joseph and St William, scooped a multitude of awards last year, named ‘Best Large Housebuilder’, receiving a ‘Best Development’ gold award for Chelsea Creek by St George, a ‘Best Regeneration Scheme’ gold for White City Living by St James and a ‘Best Public Realm’ gold for Hartland Village by St Edward. With so much success, claiming ‘the big one’ was fully deserved.
It’s been a busy year for Berkeley since scooping the top prize at the WhatHouse? Awards. Specialising in brownfield regeneration, the Group currently has 28 such long-term sites in delivery, while 86% of completed homes in 2023 were built on brownfield land.
As well as creating award-winning developments, Berkeley Group is focused on having a positive impact on the environment too. The Group is creating over 550 acres of new or enhanced habitat for flora and fauna, including woodland, nature-rich grassland and living roofs.
It is also a supporter of the Get Nature Positive Campaign from the Council for Sustainable Business and a founder member of the Blue Recovery Leaders Group working with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust to create networks of wetlands. Berkeley Group procures 100% renewable electricity across UK operations and has a CDP Climate Action and Transparency Leadership rating of A-.
This commitment to the environment has also seen Berkeley Group recently receive a national award for water neutrality at this year’s Sustainability Awards for its Royal Exchange development in Kingston upon Thames.
2023 has also been a successful year for Berkeley’s apprenticeship scheme, which received a gold accreditation from Investors in People. The Group currently has 10% of its workforce in earn and learn roles, including apprentices, graduates, and sponsored students, across some of the largest regeneration projects in London and was commended for its commitment to providing support and career paths for apprentices across the business as well as being an inclusive employer.
Rob Perrins, chief executive of Berkeley Group, said: “The WhatHouse? Awards are a huge highlight of the year and we were honoured to be named ‘Housebuilder of the Year’ and ‘Best Large Housebuilder’ in 2023. These prestigious accolades reflect the commitment of our fantastic people and our passion for creating beautiful homes and places.”
“At Berkeley Group we believe homebuilding can be a real force for good and we’re delighted to be recognised for our contributions to nature recovery, climate action and the regeneration of brownfield land.”
“Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on creating individually designed, nature-rich neighbourhoods, where communities can find a high-quality home and a great quality of life.”
Source: Showhouse
