£1m restoration scoops industry award for firm
A RUNCORN building firm has scooped an industry award after completing a £1m restoration project on a historic chapel.
St Faith’s Mission, in Preston On The Hill, dates back to 1887 and was transformed into four family homes by EBL Group’s heritage team.
The renovation won a ‘highly commended’ gong at the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) North West Building Excellence Awards 2017 in Manchester.
The awards allow building control officers to nominate outstanding projects in their area and EBL Group was nominated by Halton Borough Council’s Rob Bradshaw.
St Faith’s Mission was saved from ruin by EBL Group in 2007 at a property auction televised by hit BBC property show Homes Under The Hammer.
Frenzied bidding followed before Edward Basnett secured the dilapidated Victorian chapel for £280,000 – triple the guide price.
Once the site was cleared of its pews, prayer books, a font, pulpit and an organ, the building firm began converting it into four homes, over three storeys using the attic and cellar.
An EBL spokeswoman said the EBL Group heritage team painstakingly restored many of the chapel’s historic original architectural features – from the 12ft high ● Pictured are Gary Hunt, architect; Rob Hunt, structural engineer; Nigel Bridge and Edward Basnett, EBL Group; and Rob Bradshaw, Halton Borough Council’s principal building control officer windows and sandstone windowsills to the oak beams and bell tower – and incorporated them into the homes.
Mr Basnett worked closely with Mr Bradshaw and his team during the conversion of the chapel.
Plans had been drawn up to convert the chapel into a four-bedroom family home before a decision was made to turn it into four separate dwellings.
Restoration work spanned a decade as plans for St Faith’s Mission evolved and the development went into EBL Group’s land bank for five years during the recession.
As well as the St Faith’s Mission project being recognised in the ‘best change of use of an existing building or conversion’ category, an EBL Group development for One Vision Housing – Lime Grove, Seaforth, Liverpool – was also nominated in the ‘best social or affordable new housing development’ category.
Eddie Basnett, EBL Group managing director, said: “We were over the moon to get this kind of recognition for St Faith’s Mission which has been a labour of love from day one.
“It wasn’t an easy job, because the chapel was in really bad shape when we took it on, but it was a very rewarding one.
“Everyone at EBL Group who was involved in breathing new life into this beautiful one-off building is very proud.”
Mr Bradshaw said: “Everyone in the building control team at Halton Borough Council strives to have a positive working relationship with builders and developers, such as EBL Group, so that we can all work towards a better, stronger and sustainable borough.
“I was only too pleased to nominate St Faith’s Mission for an LABC Building Excellence Award and it was a worthy of a highly commended award because of its vision, imagination and sympathetic restoration whilst meeting the relevant requirements of the building regulations.”