Burton Latimer site manager wins building award

It is the third time he has won a Quality Award
Piet Cloete, site manager at Buckby Grange, Burton LatimerPiet Cloete, site manager at Buckby Grange, Burton Latimer
Piet Cloete, site manager at Buckby Grange, Burton Latimer

A site manager at a housing development in Burton Latimer is celebrating after winning a national award for his work.

Piet Cloete, the site manager at Linden Homes’ Buckby Grange development off Higham Road, has received a prestigious Pride in the Job Quality Award from the National House Building Council (NHBC).

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It is the third time that he has won a Quality Award since taking the reins at Buckby Grange, the site he was assigned after joining Linden Homes four years ago.

He is one of 450 site managers out of around 11,000 across the country to receive a Quality Award this year and his name will now be put forward for a Seal of Excellence Award, an accolade he has won once previously, and which is bestowed on fewer than 150 site managers each year.

Piet, 46, of Leicester, said: “This award is the most special one for me and my team. Being off-site due to lockdown was tough but knowing that we are an award-winning site has lifted everyone’s spirits.

“My team is brilliant and I wouldn’t have won it without them. When I joined Linden Homes four years ago, I was assigned to Buckby Grange and the team has been the same from the beginning, so we’ve come a long way together. I now work on site four days a week but on the days I’m not there I can trust that everyone is getting the work done because I know how much effort they put in.

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“It’s been hard getting used to working on site after lockdown. Before, we had 60 people on site each day and with the new social distancing rules this has now gone down to 25. Everything takes a little bit longer but I’m very fortunate to have a team that understands the circumstances.

“Linden Homes have looked after me since day one so winning this award lets me feel like I am repaying them for all they have done for me. They back me up whenever I need the support and I know that I’m able to get help on site if I need it.

“I hope we’ll be able to celebrate this award the way we have done in previous years, which includes me treating the team on site to a hog roast to thank them all for their hard work!”

Robert Spittles, Production Director for Linden Homes East Midlands, said: “Winning a Pride in the Job award is a huge achievement for any site manager and we’re incredibly proud of Piet and his team for the success they’ve enjoyed since starting work at Buckby Grange.

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“At Linden Homes, we pride ourselves on building award-winning homes and delivering a high-quality product for our customers. This wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of site managers such as Piet, and we’d like to wish him and his team all the best for the next stage of judging.”

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