A DEVELOPMENT that transformed an historic industrial building in York into houses has won a third top award.

Clementhorpe Maltings, a Grade II listed 19th century malthouse, has been converted into six townhouses with some of the historic industrial artefacts on show.

The building which had lain empty since the 1960s, has won Best Creative Re-use of an Industrial Building 2017 award from the Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA).

The coordinator for the award, Amber Patrick, is a malting buildings specialist whose report persuaded English Heritage to list the building in 2001.

She said the way artefacts had been retained and restored in the residential development had contributed to the award.

She added: “The judges were also impressed by the minimal use of new materials, the design, which retained as much of the original building as possible, such as cast-iron columns; new features, such as windows, being unobtrusive, and the fact that conversion into houses, rather than apartments, aided the stability of the building.

“This is one of the best maltings conversions I have seen.”

The scheme was carried out by York property developer, Northminster Ltd, and managed by property and construction specialists the LHL Group over nine months to January 2017.

It has already won residential and building conservation prizes in the RICS Awards 2017 for Yorkshire and Humber, and it has made it into the Grand Finals of the RICS Awards in November in the residential and building conservation categories.

Malthouse artefacts, including a double-bucket elevator, a large grain hopper, a grain-dressing machine, a cast iron steep and the kiln furnace for curing the malt were salvaged and restored with help from the AIA and are in a special display area at the property’s communal entrance.

Northminster managing director, George Burgess, said: “It is a real thrill for the whole team that our commitment is recognised by other professionals. We are delighted to add this latest award to those from the RICS in the spring and are keeping our fingers crossed for the national award judging in November.”

LHL Group director, Richard Hampshire, said: “The Clementhorpe Maltings refurbishment was challenging but made exciting by the vision Northminster Ltd and COG Architecture had created for the property and it is very rewarding to have this recognised by a third award.”

Tadcaster Tower Brewery Company, which was formed in 1882 with the amalgamation of three local breweries, is known to have used the 10,000 sq ft malthouse from 1895 until the late 1950s.

It has since been used as storage for museums, but in 2015 locals lost a fight to get the building listed as an asset of community value and permission was given for the conversion.