Cleveleys seafront earns its 17th award

Cleveleys seafront has scooped yet another prestigious award. This time Cleveleys Coast Protection Scheme has been declared Project of the Year, the top honour in the North West Construction Industry Awards 2009.

Delivered in partnership by Wyre Borough Council and Birse Coastal, the £19m scheme fitted perfectly with the judge's brief of the highest level of technical achievement, innovation and application of best practice while delivering a project to time and budget and with team working throughout the supply chain.

 This latest accolade, the 17th since the project began in 2007, was announced at a prestigious ceremony in Southport on 21 May. Receiving the award, Rob Posner, Director of Neighbourhood Services for Wyre Borough Council, said: "We are delighted by the continued recognition for this exceptional project, which is so much more than a sea defence scheme. Excellence has been demonstrated on so many levels - the design itself, the quality of the construction, the way it has dealt with environmental issues, the part it's played in regenerating the town centre and how it links into the community.

Phil Wright, Managing Director of Birse Coastal, added: "I am absolutely delighted with this award. It is testament to the partnership between Wyre Borough Council and Birse Coastal and to the fantastic project we have jointly delivered. The Cleveleys project has been a resounding success from start to finish and to have this recognised at a regional level is a great achievement. I would like to acknowledge the exceptional efforts of all involved, directly and indirectly, with the scheme and hope that the people of Cleveleys enjoy their new defences and promenade for many years to come’

 Possibly the most important factor is that it has made a real difference to the local environment, the community, people’s lives and their general well-being. The blend of engineering and aesthetics, the uplifting colours of materials and the ‘flow’ achieved in the layout makes this project stand out from other public realm schemes and proves that a major construction project can be completed to the complete satisfaction of the customer and the local community.

When awarding the prestigious title of Project of the Year, judges commented that the win was down to the regeneration that the coastal defence work had inspired, that the transformation to the area had created such a sense of place and that the technical challenges overcome (for example relating to landscape architecture in a hostile environment were significant.

The scheme will now represent the North West in the national awards later this year.