East of England RICS Social Impact Awards shortlist unveiled

A shortlist of 28 projects has been revealed for the East of England RICS Social Impact Awards 2020.

The projects consist of commercial, heritage, residential, leisure, educational and healthcare builds.

One high-profile project to make the shortlist is the Winerack residential development on Ipswich’s flagship waterfront. Ingleton Wood, a leading multi-disciplinary property and construction consultancy which has an office in Colchester and across the East of England, was appointed in December 2014 to provide full architectural, planning, project management and quantity surveying services for The Winerack.

The Winerack was a relic of the 2008 recession, and for a decade the building sat vacant after the original developers entered administration. Property developer John Howard of Ipswich Wharf Developments Limited bought the semi-constructed site in 2014.

Construction of the 150 apartments started in January 2018 and completed in December 2019. At 19 storeys, it is one of the town’s tallest residential buildings and includes a 264-space integrated multiparker – one of the largest automatic car parking systems nationwide.

Paul Ruffell, Director at Ingleton Wood’s Colchester Business Park office, and Project Manager for The Winerack, said: “We are thrilled that The Winerack has been shortlisted in the inaugural RICS Social Impact Awards 2020. We are delighted with the stunning success of the project and look forward to its wider impact across Ipswich and Suffolk.

“We used our multi-disciplinary expertise and experience to help complete the long-awaited build of the distinctive, high-profile building which towers above the Ipswich skyline and is one of the first visible landmarks for visitors and tourists.

“It’s hard to think of any other comparative project anywhere in the country. Finishing a 19-storey half-built concrete structure, which had stood empty for a decade presented quite an architectural and technical challenge. We had to use safety harnesses to survey each floor but extensive studies showed the site was in a very good condition despite the time.”

John Howard, Director of Ipswich Wharf Developments said: “For many, the prospect of taking on a half-finished development of this size is a non-starter, but for us, we couldn’t wait to get started. Both my partner and I are Ipswich born and bred and this has been more than just a business project for us.

“We have been delighted to work on such an iconic development and investment project to complete this key part of the Ipswich marina vision alongside Ingleton Wood. We have at long last seen our first buyers moving into the apartments and are delighted to be able to offer fabulous homes for local people and beyond.

“We have also received tremendous support from Homes England, New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, local MPs, the Council and Central Government. It has taken a huge amount of hard work to get here, from so many people, to get this far. Because of them and our plan and determination to rescue this project, The Winerack is what it is today.”

The RICS Social Impact Awards are the only nationally recognised awards programme that shows the impact our built environment has on people’s lives. They highlight excellence at a regional and national level, identifying the projects making a positive difference.