Rowlands has continued its involvement with the Manchester Evening News Property Awards by sponsoring the event for the fourth successive year. Rowlands has a substantial presence in both residential and commercial property throughtout the region and its support for the event is consistent with its committment for developing and expanding its legal services to everyone involved in the property sector in the North West and indeed beyond.

Philip Bellamy, partner at Rowlands, presented the prize for Best Family Home and prefaced the award with the following comment:

I can’t wait to tell you how delighted we are at Rowlands to sponsor these awards once again, to renew our link with the region’s most prominent publication, the Manchester Evening News; and to be part of a truly magnificent occasion.

This event is a celebration of local achievement. It is a fitting tribute to the vision, imagination, ingenuity and perseverance of builders, developers and entrepreneurs of this area. Daring pioneers, they have contributed so much to the enhancement of our landscape and the transformation of our previously unfashionable localities. May they reap the rewards of their efforts and their bold investment.

For a local law firm it is a wonderful opportunity to bestow a little praise upon our own developer clients. It is a privilege to work with them as they meet the challenges of their trade - shortage of suitable sites, moratoriums, planning obligations, affordable housing ratios, carbon reduction and the code for sustainable homes, not to mention restrictive covenants - a whole host of issues to tackle against a background of tightening margins in competitive market conditions. Their success is so richly deserved.

During our four year association with these awards, the calibre of the entries has grown progressively higher. We have seen some great things.

The first award my firm is presenting tonight is in the best family home category. We have seen three great examples of cleverly designed modern family homes – let’s find out the winner.