Publication Date: 22-07-2025 09:00
Former labourer wins coveted industry award as senior site manager at Bellway development in Raynes Park
Senior site manager Paul Minnican, who began his working career in construction as a labourer, has just won a prestigious national building award.
Paul, from Bexleyheath in Kent, has secured a Quality Award in the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) annual Pride in the Job competition for his work at Bellway South London’s Cavendish Grove development in Raynes Park.
The 52-year-old was among only 450 winners selected from a pool of more than 8,000 site managers whose developments have been inspected by the NHBC over the past year, placing him among an elite group within the industry.
Paul said: “When I read the email from the NHBC telling me I had won I was very, very happy. The first thing I did was call my wife Flair because she, apart from the senior management at Bellway South London, has been my biggest supporter.
“To be honest it’s a great result for the whole site team at Cavendish Grove, who are excellent because they have all had a part to play to help me as we produced a site with extremely high standards. The judging is very strict so it is a real feather in our cap for us to be given this Quality Award.”
Paul joined Bellway South London in 2023 as senior site manager after first setting foot on a building site as a labourer more than 30 years ago.
He said: “I guess I started at the bottom but then went on to become a painter and decorator and then a foreman of people in that trade. I had a knack for man-management, an ability to problem solve and lead a team, and a housebuilder I was working for spotted that and gave me a shot at training to be a site manager.
“I worked as a site manager before being promoted to senior site manager and then joining Bellway South London. I took control at Cavendish Grove in September 2024 when the foundations had just been laid, so it feels like I have been here almost from the start.
“My days start early and finish late but that’s the commitment I am prepared to give the role as it is a job that I love and one that I am good at. This is my first NHBC Pride in the Job Award but I’m now motivated to make sure it isn’t my last.”
The Pride in the Job Awards involve a rigorous process including spot checks on the day-to-day running of a site. Each site manager is assessed across six key areas which are consistency, attention to detail, leadership, interpretation of drawings and specifications, technical expertise and health and safety.
Paul and the other Quality Award winners will go forward to the next stage of the competition – the NHBC’s Seal of Excellence and Regional Awards, which will be announced this autumn.
Leon Taylor, Head of Construction at Bellway South London, said: “As you can see from the number of sites that are judged nationally, winning this award is no mean feat. The NHBC Quality Award is recognition of a job very well done and is universally respected throughout the construction industry as a mark of distinction.
“Paul and his site team should be incredibly proud of this achievement. It is a real testament to their hard work, commitment and attention to detail not to mention the extremely high standards that we set for ourselves throughout the business.”
To find out more about the homes at Cavendish Grove, see https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/south-london/cavendish-grove.
