Quinn Estates Win Prestigious Irvine Sellar Award At Property Awards 2020

Against tough industry competition, CEO and Chairman of Quinn Estates, Mark Quinn was awarded the Irvine Sellar Award at last night’s Property Awards 2020.

Hosted virtually by impressionist Jon Culshaw, the Property Week event celebrated the best the UK commercial property industry has to offer. In addition to the award win, Quinn Estates were also shortlisted across the Developer of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year and Social Impact Award categories.

In honour of the late, great property developer, the Irvine Sellar Award celebrates an individual or company that has made an impact with a truly ground-breaking scheme. The judges were looking for innovation, transformation, entrepreneurial spirit, risk taking and persistence.

Paul Tremble, UK Chief Strategy Officer at WSP, praised Quinn Estates’ strong track record and Mark’s role in driving the team to deliver for the whole community when he presented the award. It was Mark and the team’s commitment to the delivery of the multi-million pound facilities at Herne Bay Sports Hub that really stood out in the award entry.

In his acceptance speech Mark Quinn, thanked the local authorities Quinn Estates have worked with over the years, as well as his family, friends and personal mentors within the industry.

He said: “I would like to thank the judging panel and Property Week for choosing myself and Quinn Estates to win this award. I believe we won this award not because of how commercially successful this scheme has been, but because of what we have given back and what we have done for the communities within which we build.

He also recognises the role Irvine Sellar played in the property industry and explains why Quinn Estates strives to do the same: “Irvine risked everything to create something of beauty for the people of London and beyond. Good development is about trying to do more for the area in which you develop than you take from it. This is what we have strived to do in our developments throughout Kent and it is what Mr Sellar definitely achieved in his developments in Britain.”

Geoff Miles, Chair of the Kent and Medway Economic Partnership, commended the award win: “I’m not surprised to see Mark Quinn receive The Irvine Sellar Award; his approach to property development has always been fresh and innovative. The words ‘game-changing’ can often be overused in the property sector but it’s a sentiment that can be closely aligned to Mark.

“At the heart of this is his persistence in delivering community assets that exceed the requirements; he thinks people first. This award is for people who are formidable; for people who make the impossible, possible. It could not have been awarded to a more apt person than Mark Quinn.”

Isobel Warnock, Chairman of Herne Bay Lawn Tennis Club, one of the sports clubs using the facilities in Herne Bay, commented: “Congratulations to Mark and to Quinn Estates. They certainly deserve recognition for developing and providing us with such state-of-the-art facilities at Herne Bay Sports Hub.

“These fabulous, modern facilities give our club a bright and exciting future to expand our junior and younger adult sections and continue to invest in our established membership. A huge thank you to Mark Quinn for his vision and dedication to see the project completed.”

Quinn Estates have a number of community-centred developments being developed across Kent and the South East, many of whom include the provision of sports facilities and green space for local people and sports clubs to use. One of these projects is Stonehouse Park, which proposes new pitches for Sevenoaks Rugby Club and Sevenoaks Hockey Club.

Trevor Nicholson, Chairman of Sevenoaks Rugby Club, added: "We at Sevenoaks Rugby are delighted that Quinn Estates and Mark personally have been recognised with this award.

“Although our project is not as far advanced as Herne Bay, over the years that we have known Quinn Estates, we have been impressed with their straightforward approach and genuine desire to fund community sports facilities. Their enabling development model solves the two burning issues of Kent’s desperate housing shortage and poor outdoor recreational facilities at the same time.”