The title of most considerate site in the UK was won this week at a ceremony held at the Plaisterers’ Hall in London.

The Gold Award was presented to David Wellwood and Charlene Jones of McLaughlin and Harvey by Paul Morrell OBE, the government’s Chief Construction Adviser, all pictured.

Michael Kieran, a McLaughlin & Harvey director, reacted to the award by insisting: "We believe that it is important to consider fully the impact of our contracts on the communities in which we work and, where possible, to give something back.

"The Considerate Constructors Scheme provides an excellent Checklist to help contractors to be more considerate and to promote a positive image of construction. We are delighted to receive the top award this year and congratulate our site teams for their commitment to the scheme."

The refurbishing of the Sainsbury’s store at Ballymena bested the work of 8,500 entrants from 60,000 scheme members – on what the scheme monitor described as "a short duration site which has risen to the considerate construction challenge in an absolutely outstanding way".

The annual awards recognise the highest levels of consideration and care shown by construction sites throughout the UK towards their local neighbourhood and the general public, site staff and the environment. Only 88 UK sites achieved the gold standard in 2012.

Particular constraints are always in place when work is to be carried out while a store stays open for business, and the awards panel felt that McLaughlin and Harvey had managed this to an exceptional degree.

At the same time, the site team showed full commitment to energy conservation and sustainability with several innovations. To study the use of "virtual water" in construction operations and materials, an MSc student was retained for research. The resource-saving results proved so valuable that Sainsburys already plan to use them on a UK-wide basis, and other construction companies have been invited to share them. A further unique concept was the use of specially-developed "low carbon" hoarding which was not only attractive but whose production significantly reduced its environmental impact.

First class operative facilities were also noted by the panel including a stop smoking club, and all operatives were incentivised in the many areas of considerate performance. Innovative use was made of the site canteen by hosting a celebrity chef healthy eating cookery demonstration for all staff, while extensive community involvement included the creation of a free calendar showing photo examples of considerate initiatives, extensive local litter picking, and in-store bag-packing to raise money for charity.

On behalf of the scheme, chairman Robert Biggs said: "In a highly challenging economic climate, this achievement of this site is particularly impressive. They have not only represented themselves and the industry in the best possible way but taken things forward with new research and new initiatives that all can share. Their efforts have been truly exceptional and have raised the standards bar once again".