Inside Housing journalists win IBP awards
Two Inside Housing journalists have won prizes at this year’s International Building Press (IBP) Awards.
Inside Housing’s deputy editor Peter Apps won the Housing and Residential Journalist of the Year award, while news editor Jack Simpson as named News Reporter of the Year.
Inside Housing’s publisher Ocean Media Group also scooped the Event of the Year award for Housing 2019, the yearly event it runs in Manchester alongside the Chartered Institute of Housing, while Inside Housing’s sister publication, The Developer, was highly commended for the Editorial Brand of the Year award.
Mr Apps won the award after entering three pieces. These included his investigation into the building control sector which revealed the National House Building Council had signed off 50 towers with Grenfell-style cladding and his feature on how Plymouth Community Homes was going about removing dangerous aluminium composite material cladding from three of its blocks.
He was also praised for his analysis on L&Q, London’s biggest housing association, following the revelation that it would have its surplus cut in half.
The judges said: “Pete offered highly thoughtful, well written and explained articles. He can communicate substantive and complex issues well. There is great human interest content in his pieces but also hard edged exclusive news.”
Mr Simpson secured the news reporter gong for two scoops following the Barking fire in June. One revealed the type of cladding on the building and the second revealed that a fire risk assessment of the block had identified significant risk from wooden cladding months before fire.
His entry also included his story which identified a block in London where residents had been forced to pay £3.5m to remove dangerous Grenfell-style cladding – the first block in the country to have paid such fees.
The judges said: “News is about getting important information to the reader as quickly as possible. Jack acted rapidly to establish the facts about one of the most high-profile incidents in the sector within 24 hours, helping industry to mobilise and respond properly to the Barking block destroyed in fire.”
Reporters from the magazine were nominated for a total of 12 awards at the annual event which is open to journalists reporting on the built environment – far more than any other magazine.
Housing 2019 beat Bisnow’s Build to Rent event and The Developer’s Festival of Place to the prize for Best Event of the Year.
The judges said: “We were impressed with the sheer number of moving parts that needed to be kept perfectly whirring away for Housing 2019. From high-profile VIP speakers – no detail had been overlooked.
“The judges noted that it was only by making every aspect of the event run like clockwork that a powerful return on investment could be delivered. This created a sustainable conference programme, ready to run for many years into the future.”
