On Friday 25 July, a panel of leading housing professionals and advisors came together at the Birketts offices in Chelmsford for a difficult day of judging entries for this year’s awards.
Reviewing the award entries, one thing was clear: Essex’s housing sector has made significant strides in redefining housing efficiency, inclusivity, and resilience, helping a diverse range of residents find a sense of belonging.
Notably impressive was the 108.33% increase in award entries this year, rising from 36 last year to 75. This surge reflects the sector’s growing activity and progress. The standout category was the Meeting Housing Need – Homelessness Award, which aligns well with Essex’s Housing Strategy (2021-2025) and strategic goal 3: supporting people facing homelessness or rough sleeping.
Further, in a heartwarming turn of events, the highest entry category tie was the Mo Slade Rising Star Award. As a colleague-nominated award, to see industry peers recognising each other’s efforts and commitment shows how united the sector truly is.
The Essex Housing Awards continue to celebrate excellence in developments, services, and individuals across the public, private, and voluntary sectors, while promoting best practices throughout the county. This year, the awards feature 12 categories, including two new additions. The Climate Action category has been split into two specialised categories: Climate Action – Decarbonisation Retrofit and Climate Action – Decarbonisation New Build. Additionally, the Meeting Housing Need category has expanded to include homelessness prevention and specialist housing.
A dazzling Awards Ceremony will be held on 16 October, at Hylands House, to celebrate the shortlisted individuals and teams and to announce the winners. The event will celebrate the outstanding achievements made over the past year, while also providing a valuable opportunity for attendees to connect with industry leaders across the county. It also will serve as a platform for sharing insights gained from real-world experiences and fostering collaborations that open doors to new possibilities.
Mark Curle, Chair, Essex Developers Group (EDG), said: “It was a real privilege to chair the judging panel for this year’s Essex Housing Awards. The standard of entries was incredibly high once again, showcasing the creativity, collaboration and commitment that define the housing sector in Essex. Every finalist should be proud of their work; they are making a genuine difference in our communities.
It was also a pleasure to meet and work alongside such a knowledgeable and passionate panel of judges. The discussion around each entry was thoughtful and constructive, and it was clear that everyone shared a real commitment to celebrating excellence in housing across Essex.
On behalf of Essex Developers Group, I would like to thank all those who entered and congratulate the shortlisted teams and individuals for pushing the sector in the right direction. I look forward to seeing everyone at the evening ceremony in October.”
The shortlisted entries are as follows:
Small Housing Schemes (1 – 24 homes)
De Beauvoir Farm development, Ramsden Heath – Modus Architecture and Private Developer
Shenfield Library – Essex Housing
Eagle Way – Southend-on-sea City Council
Honeycroft Development – Tendring District Council
Ganels Mews – Sempra Homes Ltd (Basildon Council)
Pound Lane – Basildon Council
Medium Housing Schemes (25 – 100 homes)
Barley Green, Saffron Walden – Latimer by Clarion and Stonebond
Oakview Walk – Essex Housing
Elfreda House – Colchester City Council working with Colchester Borough Homes
Cricketers Court – Basildon Council
Bowers Close – Sempra Homes Ltd
Fitzroy Place – Anderson in partnership with CHP
Large Housing Schemes (101+ homes), sponsored Birketts
Wolsey Park – Countryside (part of the Vistry Group)
Channels Phases 3 and 5 – JTP
Chelmsford Garden Community – JTP
Chapelgate – Sempra Homes Ltd
Excellence in Design & Placemaking
A New Street Types Model for Essex – Essex County Council
De Beauvoir Farm development, Ramsden Heath – Modus Architecture and Private Developer
Mill View – Stanley Bragg Architects Ltd
Oakview Walk – Stanley Bragg Architects Ltd
Channels Phases 3 and 5 – JTP
Ghyllgrove Place – Sempra Homes Ltd
Excellence in Construction Skills
Rose
Oxbury Chartered Surveyors
Re-Gen (UK) Construction
Tamdown Group Ltd
Building a Lasting Legacy – Morgan Sindall Construction in partnership with Essex County Council (ECC) and the Greater Essex Careers Hub
Building Skills Through Development – Sempra Homes
Climate Action – Low or zero carbon in New Build, sponsored Ground Control
Essex Open Legal Advice – Estelle Dehon KC, Cornerstone Barristers and ECC Climate and Planning Unit (CaPU)
Embodied Carbon Policy Position and Evidence Base for Greater Essex – Essex County Council’s Climate and Planning Unit (CaPU)
Honeycroft Development – Rose
1-28 Milbourne Close, Waltham Abbey – Purcell (with Qualis Commercial Ltd/Epping Forest District Council)
Latton Priory Strategic Design Code – Epping Forest District Council
Southend-on-Sea City Council
Climate Action – Decarbonisation / Retrofit, sponsored Kind and Company
Switch Together Essex – Essex County Council
Southend-on-Sea City Council
Retrofit 25 (Colchester) – ECOedge
EEH Solutions (Eco Efficient Home Solutions Ltd)
The Carbon Literacy Project
Meeting Housing Need – Homelessness
Stephens House – Maldon District Council
Stephens House, Maldon – Re-Gen (UK) Construction
CHP
Peabody Basildon Outreach and Inreach Service
Essex Outreach Service – Peabody Trust
Southend Rough Sleeping Team, led by Elsa Moore
The Spendells Project – Tendring District Council
Rough Sleeping Initiative and Private Sector Solutions – Southend-on-Sea City Council
The Temporary Accommodation and Homelessness Programme – Sempra Homes Ltd
Your Own Place CIC and Colchester Borough Homes
Meeting Housing Need – Specialist housing
Turning Point – CHESS and Chelmsford City Council
CHP
Stephens House, Maldon – Re-Gen (UK) Construction
Honeycroft Development – Tendring District Council and Rose
Elfreda House – Colchester City Council working with Colchester Borough Homes
Essex Supported and Specialist Housing and Accommodation Need Assessment (Housing Learning and Improvement Network and Essex County Council)
Smart Working
AI Digital Assistant – Harlow & Gilston Garden Town
Baron Architects Ltd
CHP (with Switchee)
Sigma South Essex (SSE) – Basildon Council
Southend-on-Sea City Council
Housing & Development Professional of the Year, sponsored by Countryside Partnerships
Amy Lester – Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community
MAK Mirza – Southend on Sea City Council
Dr Theonie Woodley – Essex County Council
Emily Diplock – Essex County Council
Martin Berry – Southend on Sea City Council
The Mo Slade Rising Star Award, sponsored by Anderson Development
Louis Ramsay – Oxbury Chartered Surveyors
Danny Hartland – Re-Gen (UK) Construction
Lilli Bartella – Baron Architects Ltd
Ursula Aitchison – CHP
Jordan Mears – CHP
Keira Hill – CHP
Carly Stevenson – Peabody Trust
Josh Alderton – Southend City Council
Sophie Price – Chelmsford City Council
Tilly Jones – Basildon Borough Council (Sempra Homes Ltd)
If you are shortlisted, you will receive two free tickets per category, limited to six tickets maximum, and can book additional discounted tickets. However, as this year’s venue is able to accommodate more people, there are a limited number of tickets available to wider organisations in the sector. Despite the focus on the awards, these organisations will find the event to be a wonderful opportunity to network with the leaders in the sector and local authority members.
Tickets are £135 and are limited; reserve your place now.
The Essex Housing Awards 2025 is brought together in partnership with Essex Developers Group (EDG), the South Essex Housing Group (SEHG), and the Essex Housing Officers Group (EHOG). It is held in association with Birketts, CHP and Estuary Housing and is sponsored by Anderson Development, Kind & Company, Ground Control, The Higgins Group and Countryside Partnerships (part of the Vistry Group).
For more information and to enter, visit: https://www.housingessex.org/essex-housing-awards-2025/
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LinkedIn: Essex Housing Awards
Twitter: @EssxHousingAwds
