A Bishopdale holiday cottage has won a national award for being accessible to the disabled.
The Dairy, in Newbiggin, was crowned the best inclusive building at the Local Authority Building Control’s Building Excellence Awards Final.
The project involved the extension, conversion and adaptation of an existing Grade ll listed building to create a holiday cottage specifically designed and constructed around the needs of disabled people.
The cottage is owned by holiday company Cottage in the Dales run by Diane and Andrew Howarth.
Diane said the award was for both Cottage in the Dales as the design and owners, but also Leyburn builders Acton & Mudd, which carried out the work.
Diane said: “After being nominated for this award by our local building inspector Neil Youill, we were delighted to reach & win the North & East Yorkshire award in June 2018.
“This turned to amazement when we were chosen to represent Yorkshire at the Grand Finals for England & Wales.
“We realised we were definitely the ‘David’ amongst the ‘Goliaths’ in our category as 10 of the 12 finalists were multi-million pound architect led projects, including The Bloomberg in London which cost £1billion to build.
“We were truly speechless with the winning announcement. It wasn’t about the size or cost of a project, as the citation says.
LABC chief executive Paul Everall said: “Our Building Excellence Awards are an opportunity for the industry to celebrate good practice.
“Our winners demonstrate how positive working relationships with local council building control teams achieve high quality, sustainable buildings. Our awards are unique because they recognise how this cooperation improves building standards and professionalism across the industry.”
The panel of expert judges said “This scheme goes above and beyond minimum building regulations standards. It used flexible bathroom, kitchen and bedroom layouts, products and design solutions to create a 5 star experience and the same level of luxury as their non-accessible offering.
“This results in a non-clinical feel which appeals to all customers regardless of whether they are looking for an accessible holiday property or not. This entry is a very well thought out property delivering truly inclusive design.”
The LABC Building Excellence Awards Grand Finals took place on Friday 9 November at the Westminster Park Plaza in London and was hosted by Dead Ringers star, comedian and impressionist Jon Culshaw.
860 building industry professionals including contractors, architects and engineers attended the celebration to find out which projects won across the 15 hotly contested categories.
