STOURPORT-based construction firm, Thomas Vale, is celebrating a win at the Local Authority Building Control - Built in Quality Awards.

The company, working in partnership with Design Facilities Management Consultancy, a group within Staffordshire County Council, picked up the award for Best Public Building over £1 million for its Stafford Children's Centre.

The LABC is a national organisation representing local authority building control departments in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each local authority provides a service to ensure building work complies with the building regulations.

The regulations ensure people live, work and play in a safe and healthy built environment.

The LABC celebrates and rewards high quality building projects that deliver partnership, innovation and sustainability with local, regional and national Built in Quality Awards.

Richard Green, operations director of Thomas Vale, along with the project team, attended the event at Stoke City FC's Britannia Stadium to collect the award for the £2.8 million children's centre.

Ian Coombes, Thomas Vale's partnership manager, said: "This award is indicative of the close working relationship between client and contractor and building control that the Staffordshire Partnership continues to foster."

Following the success, the project has been put forward, along with other regional winners, for the National Built in Quality Awards for 2008. The national winners will be announced at a London ceremony later this year.

Ian Thompson, executive director of Stafford Borough Council, said: "The high standard of the many projects that were nominated for these awards demonstrates the commitment the council and developers have for ensuring the quality of building work for the area.

"These awards are the most highly regarded in the construction industry and we hope that the winners will go on to be successful in the national competition."