Developer of City Place Chester, Muse Developments, has beaten off stiff competition to be crowned Developer of the Year at Property Week’s prestigious Property Awards held on Tuesday 19 April at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
The national developer and urban regeneration specialist was praised by the judges for the geographical and sector spread of its 40-strong portfolio, as well as a number of ground-breaking deals last year. The judges commented: “A fantastic year of development across the country and with many different uses.”
Now in their 21st year, the awards celebrate the very best of the property industry and received a record number of entries this year. They are judged by more than 80 of the country’s most respected property experts.
Along with a number of other schemes, Muse has developed One City Place, the six-storey, 70,000 sq ft office development near to Chester Railway Station, which will form Chester’s new Central Business Quarter. Other key highlights from the past 12 months include international law firm Freshfields agreeing terms for 80,000 sq ft of office space at New Bailey in Salford, which is being delivering through its English Cities Fund partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency and Legal & General. As well as completing a major 50,500 sq ft letting to John Lewis at flagship industrial development Logic Leeds and completing the largest combined John Lewis and Waitrose in the country at Basing View in Basingstoke.
Matt Crompton, joint managing director of Muse, said: “We’re extremely proud to be awarded this accolade, judged by our peers in the property industry. We work hard to deliver best-in-class developments, which truly transform the physical environment for the benefit of occupiers and local communities, so it’s great to have this acknowledged on a national platform.”
Nigel Franklin, joint managing director of Muse, commented: “Last year saw a number of firsts for us, including a record number of 24 projects on site, residential sales more than doubling and our workforce increase by 10%. We’re delighted to be recognised as a truly national developer, with schemes spanning the length and breadth of the UK and across commercial, residential, leisure and industrial sectors.”