Investment in people, encouraging more females into the sector and putting in proactive wellbeing support have all played a role in helping two Tara Group companies make the 2024 UK’s Best Workplaces in Construction, Engineering & Property™ list. Cameron Homes and Keon Homes have both made the prestigious rankings, reaffirming the group-wide commitment to its industry-leading ‘Tara Academy’ and how it strives to creates a positive working environment for its 300 plus staff. The list is created using anonymous feedback from employees and covers flexible working environments and how company culture aligns with trust, pride and camaraderie. Julie Caudle, People and Performance Director at the Tara Group, commented: “While bricks and mortar tend to be our main tools, people will always remain the heartbeat of what we do and that’s why we invest so much in their development and in creating the right conditions for them to grow and prosper. “That’s why we are pleased to see Cameron and Keon both feature in the Best Workplaces ranking, scoring highly in pretty much every category. This is even more impressive when you consider that we don’t influence the scores – this is completely in the hands of our team to give their honest feedback of how they feel working for us.” She continued: “The last twelve months have been very impressive. In addition to the latest list, we have also seen Keon Homes secure the highest placing for a construction company in the UK’s Best Workplaces for Development list and Cameron Homes highly placed in the Best Workplaces for Women.” Getting more females into construction has been a priority for the Tara Group, with new measures in place to work with all girl schools to help them understand the roles within the sector. Sutton Grammar School and Newport Girls High School are the first two to take part, in order to help their pupils explore potential courses and qualifications that can be used to pursue a career in the industry. Working with Instep, the group has also launched its first ever female leadership programme, a programme designed by women from a female perspective. It combines group workshops, peer learning, personalised coaching and guest speakers to harness strengths and equip rising stars with the essential skills and capability they will need to lead in the future. Benedict Gautrey, Managing Director of Great Place To Work® UK, added his support: “The UK’s Best Workplaces focus on ensuring sufficient opportunities for upskilling and reskilling wherever possible – recognising that employee growth spurs organisational growth. “We’ve seen the companies in our UK’s Best Workplaces for Construction, Engineering & Property list proactively introducing development-based investment for their greatest asset, their employees. It’s great to see Keon Homes and Cameron Homes leading from the front.” For further information, please visit www.keonhomes.co.uk or www.cameronhomes.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Bellway South London is celebrating after winning a prestigious award for a house which sets the standard for what a modern sustainable home of the future could look like. The four-bedroom Reedmaker at Fallow Wood View, in the West Sussex town of Burgess Hill, has won the ‘Best House’ category in the Evening Standard New Homes Awards 2024. The four-bedroom detached home, which is part of the company’s flagship Artisan Collection, has been adapted to incorporate low-carbon features including an air source heat pump, PV panels and a sustainable FSC-certified timber frame instead of traditional blockwork. A team from Bellway South London accepted the award at a ceremony held at the Dorchester Hotel in London’s Park Lane on Friday (27 September). Daniel Williamson, Sales Director at Bellway South London, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won this award at this prestigious event in the UK’s property calendar. Our team put a great deal of thought and effort into the design of the Reedmaker at Fallow Wood View and it is very satisfying to see their work recognised by this coveted accolade. “The Reedmaker is not a bespoke eco-home but an attainable low-carbon property for ordinary families which can be rolled out at scale, helping to provide a possible template for how the industry as a whole can meet the challenge of moving towards net zero. “As part of our Better with Bellway sustainability strategy we have used timber, a renewable material, in place of carbon-intensive block construction methods, and included technologies such as an air source heat pump, solar PV panels and wastewater heat recovery to help further reduce carbon emissions.”  The Evening Standard New Homes Awards, which were set up more than 30 years ago, recognise, celebrate and commend innovation and excellence in the construction industry. An independent team of industry experts carried out the judging over four stages, from initial assessments and site visits to shortlisting and deciding on a category winner. In choosing the winners, the judges were looking for homes and developments that reflect, or exceed, current best practice in the housebuilding industry in a number of areas including quality of design, value for money, energy-efficiency and innovation. The Best House category states that homes should be in a well-located, attractive setting, offer an impressive sense of arrival and have imaginatively designed yet functional interiors for modern living. Daniel said: “The Reedmaker is an energy-efficient home with enviable green credentials yet offers the flexible space that is demanded by modern family life. The layout downstairs offers an open-plan kitchen and dining room across the rear of the property, with French doors out to the back garden, plus a utility room and a light-filled front-facing living room. Upstairs, there are two double bedrooms which benefit from en suite facilities while the other two bedrooms are big enough for space for play or study as well as storage. “Fallow Wood View has a wonderful location close to both the South Downs National Park and the High Weald, and the exterior of the Reedmaker has also been carefully designed to complement the architecture found in this attractive part of Sussex. “What is particularly pleasing is that the Reedmaker is part of our Artisan Collection – a range of homes designed after decades of customer feedback, which combine traditional craftsmanship with contemporary methods of construction. We have opened a Reedmaker showhome at Fallow Wood View so people can come along see inside this award-winning family home.” Fallow Wood View features a range of one and two-bedroom apartments and two, three and four-bedroom houses. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals