Coast & Countryside

RICS Wales award winners announced

Gwawr, Dyfrig & Elizabeth Davies
of Llety Cynin

The winners of the biggest property awards in Wales have been announced by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Wales. A Carmarthenshire project has beaten off strong competition to scoop one of the prestigious awards, dubbed the 'Property Oscars'.

The RICS Wales Awards were presented to the winners which excelled in categories ranging from sustainability and regeneration to best community benefit and building conservation, culminating in the ultimate title of Welsh Project of the Year.

Llety Cynin Accommodation and Leisure in Carmarthenshire won the Regeneration Award, sponsored by ECA, after transforming a derelict coach house on a former farm into a unique leisure and accommodation complex. The family-run project won over entries including Chapter Arts Centre redevelopment and St David’s in Cardiff, as well as Ynyshir Community Primary School in Rhondda Cynon Taff.

Owner Elizabeth Davies said: "We’re totally amazed. It means a lot to us because we’re a family business and this gives us the chance to showcase ourselves to a wider audience. The business has really taken off and hopefully we will continue to grow. This award makes all the hard work worthwhile because it shows that others think what we’re doing is right."

Christina Hirst, acting director of RICS Wales, said: "We were amazed to receive record entries for the RICS Wales Awards this year which is fantastic considering that these projects have survived and thrived to open in one of the most difficult economic climates on record. So many of the projects excelled in their entries and the competition was particular strong but after a visit by our judges, the winners have been rewarded for their outstanding contribution in each sector. The RICS Wales Awards are a chance to celebrate the best of Wales and for those projects to inspire others throughout the country. We would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all of our shortlisted entrants on the spectrum of good projects this year together with our sponsors who help make this happen."

Winning the Welsh Project of the Year Award, sponsored by Construction Skills, was Hafod Eryri visitor centre on the summit of Snowdon. Set 1,065 metres above sea level, the uniquely designed centre is built of granite with a 'wall of glass' window overlooking the mountain. It is also the highest building in Wales and England.

Villa Marina, in Llandudno, was awarded the Building Conservation Award, sponsored by CADW, for the renovation of an early 20th Century house, restoring it to its original state and modernising it respectfully. In Prestatyn, the Scala Cinema and Arts Centre won the Community Benefit Award, sponsored by Golley Slater. The project recreated access for the community to film on a site with strong local memories of cinema going. It also includes social and training facilities, exhibition spaces and a multi-use auditorium.

Meanwhile, Cardiff Central Library scooped the Sustainability Award, sponsored by Carbon Trust. The state-of-the-art £12m library was built as part of the St David’s development with green features including a sedum grass roof, light motion detectors, water-saving devices and a system which monitors each floor’s energy usage. The library was the first building to achieve a BREEAM rating of excellent at both design and construction phases in Cardiff’s city centre. The awards were presented to the recipients by Welsh television presenter Jonathan Hill.