A year in review

2023, wow, what a year!

This year, we have seen the start of so many new beautiful projects and the completion of many. Projects such as Premier Inn in York, Pippin Barn, and Cranleigh are among the projects we are most proud of this year. We even saw OFP designer Charles Carr embark on his own mission – to design and build his own house.

All of these projects couldn’t have been achieved without our production facility, which has had its own accomplishments this year. 2023 marked the one-year anniversary of our mezzanine floor, and we are so pleased to say that this resulted in a 16% increase in efficiency.

We also moved our Truss Plant, which resulted in 26% increase in efficiency. We produced over 11,000 trusses and over 15,000 joists which resulted in the build of over 1,000 homes, and we could not be more proud of our team. 

From increased efficiency to numerous projects, charity events and team bonding days, let’s take a look at our highlights through each quarter of 2023; 

Quarter 1: January – March 2023

We started 2023 with an update from our Premier Inn project in York. The end of 2022 saw us complete the 2nd-floor panels and the last floor cassettes. We entered the project’s final phase with the top-floor panels and roof structure.

Project: Premier Inn, York

Not only did we see some fantastic progress taking place at the Premier Inn project, but we also saw the completion of many projects in Q1, including: 

• A project in Croydon, London, consisting of a 4-storey block of 20 apartments, including a penthouse on the upper floor. Completed in 10 weeks on the programme. 
• Completion of phases 1 & 2 of our project in Cranleigh
• Our project in Send, Surrey, consisting of 26 houses and 4 apartments with homes ranging from 2, 3 & 4 bedrooms completed 
• Finally, Lughorse Lane in Hunton, Maidstone, completed

At the start of the year, we also commenced the construction of our Stoneleigh, Kenilworth project, which consists of 30 timber frame houses for Vistry Group and Countryside Partnerships, with the first seven plots nearing completion by the end of Q1. 

Aside from projects progressing on the ground, we were also very busy in OFP HQ, having been awarded STA Gold again and renewing our Chain of Custody. 

Towards the end of Q1, we also announced our continued support of the local community by sponsoring the Margate football club. 

Quarter 2: April – June 2023

We started Q2 by focussing on our team. April marked Stress Awareness Month, which we are very passionate about. Some of the team attended courses, which have helped us learn more about identifying what stress is and recognising triggers to anticipate any problems and plan how to solve them to try to reduce stress.

This is something we continued throughout the rest of 2023. Read more. 

We checked in on several ongoing projects, including Pippin Barn, the Stoneleigh project in Kenilworth, West Midlands, and the Cranleigh project. We also successfully delivered Conningbrook Lakes projects. 

Project: Pippin Barn

We renewed our membership with Timber Development UK, as well as celebrating Henry receiving his certificate after completing several workbooks and taking an exam for the STA’s Timber Frame Competency Award Scheme (TFCAS) for designers.

Finally, The OFP team had a well-deserved outing. The team had a fantastic team-building day, where we all went paintballing. Overall, the team had a great day out, and everyone was still friends(!).

Quarter 3: July – September 2023

This quarter, we focussed on our involvement within our local communities. We teamed up with Sir Roger Manwood School and Education Business Partnership Kent for work experience week. We announced our new collaboration with Broadstairs College, part of the East Kent College Group. This partnership marks the beginning of an extraordinary opportunity for carpentry students to gain invaluable work experience in a fast-paced and dynamic working environment.

We were thrilled to announce our involvement in the Cockfield development for the Orwell Housing Association of affordable and private homes.

As if we weren’t busy enough, we embarked on a mission to find some of the oldest Timber Frame buildings in the UK, and we found that the longest stretch of timber frame buildings was right on our doorstep in Sandwich, Kent.

Finally, we announced our sponsorship of @creesy777 as part of the British Touring Car Championship. We had a fantastic weekend in September at the BTCC at Silverstone Circuit and are proud to support a local British touring car racing driver from Broadstairs, Kent. 

Pictured: Alastair Narraway, Managing Director of OFP.

Quarter 4: October – December 2023

October 1st 2023, saw some significant changes to the building regulations come into play, which has meant we all need to work together to understand and implement them as an industry. 

This quarter, we also saw the completion of the Bossingham Farm project and an update on our Eastern Quarry, Ebbsfleet Garden City project, which comprises 49 homes. We also had an update from Ken, our sales director, on a new 44-unit development near Chichester.

We held our annual Charity Golf day at North Foreland Golf Club in Broadstairs. We had a fantastic day and raised over £18,500, which is absolutely incredible for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.

We also celebrated Alastair, our Managing Director’s 60th birthday. It is an incredible milestone birthday and a great way to end a fantastic year for OFP. 

Looking at our team achievements this quarter, we celebrated Peter, Our General Manager, on passing his CITB course for Site Management Safety and Dale Miller, Jakob Kloc & Ryan Shaw, having all passed a 3-day counterbalance Forklift Course.

We also welcomed our New Development Manager, Chris Bubb, to team OFP. 

Finally, we welcomed students for work placements as part of our collaboration with Broadstairs College to help deliver T-Levels. 

As we see 2023 come to a close, we are so incredibly proud of our team for all their hard work and commitment this year. We cannot wait to see what 2024 has in store for us.