AWARDS SUCCESS FOR CARMARTHENSHIRE BUILDING PROJECTS

Llanelli’s flagship Ffwrnes Theatre and the stunning Machynys East housing development are winners in the South Wales Building Excellence Awards.

Held at The Vale Resort, the 2014 Local Authority Building Control awards celebrated all that’s good in the construction industry.

TRJ (Betws) Ltd won Best Public Service Building for the 500-seat Ffwrnes theatre and were also highly commended in the Best Partnership category. The building contractor has been credited for creating a low energy and sustainable building fit for the 21st century.

Charles Church West Wales won Best Large Volume New Housing for Machynys East, a collection of three, four and five bedroom homeswith breathtaking views across Carmarthen Bay and the Gower Peninsula.

Both regional winners will now automatically go through to the all Wales LABC final which are being held in Cardiff sometime in the summer.

Also highly commended were WRW Construction Ltd for Best Educational Building for Ysgol Y Ffwrnes. The £14.6 million school, built through the council’s Modernising Education Programme, opened its doors in December; months ahead of schedule.

Jones Brothers Henllan Ltd were highly commended for Best Large Commercial Building for a food processing plant at Cross Hands Food Park. The development consists of a 37,000sq ft purpose-built meat processing facility, predominantly for farmers producing premium Welsh beef, adjacent to Castell Howell’s distribution centre.

Finally stonemason David Somerfield of Heritage 2000 was highly commended in the category for Best Local Builder or Traditional Craftsperson for his restoration work on projects from crumbling castles to dilapidated cottages. Founded in 1987, the company has worked on a number of restoration and renovation projects for The National Trust, Welsh Heritage (CADW) and on ecclesiastical buildings in England and Wales using wherever possible, traditional methods and materials.

Director of Environment Christina Harrhy congratulated all those honoured at the regional ceremony. She added: “The quality guidelines laid down by our building control surveyors are being respected and adhered to by contractors and developers resulting in landmark buildings of outstanding design, technical innovation and sustainability across the county.”