A build-to-rent project in the heart of Leicester has been named Large Residential Project of the Year at a recent awards ceremony.

The scheme, delivered by owner Long Harbour in partnership with local developers Sowden, Winvic Construction Ltd and Franklin Ellis Architects, claimed the prize at the fbe East Midlands Awards 2019 last week. The awards recognise and celebrate the best construction projects in the East Midlands.

A newly built development, The Wullcomb houses 297 modern studio, one and two-bedroom apartments within a series of staggered building blocks, featuring locally sourced light and dark brickwork for visual impact.

The winning Leicester building boasts 35 different styles of apartments, designed to suit a range of residents including young families, downsizers, retirees, graduates and professionals, as well as a communal cinema room, modern lounges with fireplaces, a rooftop terrace with BBQ and pizza oven and shared dining and living area known as The Perch.


The Wullcomb reached completion earlier this year and welcomed residents into their new homes in late summer. The building is marketed, let and managed by Long Harbour's bespoke property management company, Way of Life.

Jon Crabb, associate partner at Franklin Ellis Architects, said: "We are extremely pleased to have won this accolade for our work on The Wullcomb. It is a fantastic development and for it to be recognised at the fbe East Midlands Awards is a great achievement.

"The collaborative approach with Sowden, Winvic and consultants on the project has been a very positive experience. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Long Harbour and their team to design and deliver a new luxury standard of accommodation to Leicester city centre.

"The building's design takes inspiration from many different sources including the city's proud heritage and the desire to create new modern housing for its local residents. The new building has helped to create an impressive focal point on the approach into Leicester and has opened up the area for further developments in the future."

Winvic's Director of Multi-room, Mark Jones, added: "What an amazing achievement it is for the whole team. Awards like this are won when the main contractor, architect, subcontractors and consultants come together as one, so I hope every single person who worked on the scheme is as proud as I am to say Winvic's first completed project in the build-to-rent sector won Large Residential Project of the Year."

(CM/JG)