A reflection on our journey so far at South Quay Plaza

It is just over nine months since our Residents Manager, Martin Carre, and I joined the team at South Quay Plaza. Since then, we have spent a good amount of time looking up at Hampton Tower, always with a mixture of amazement and pride that we are part of the team at such an iconic development. Recently, after another productive and testing week, we found ourselves on the Level 56 terrace, one of the many fantastic amenities spaces within Hampton Tower that will soon be open for our residents to enjoy. The sun was out and for a change, instead of looking up, we enjoyed looking out at the spectacular views across London. When mobilising such a large, complex, and high-quality site it is often hard not to move from one challenge or project to the next without taking the time to enjoy the journey. One thing we took away from the recent POD mental health awareness week, hosted by our wonderful Talent Manager, Gracia, is to make time to pause and reflect. This seemed like the perfect time to do that.

It is interesting that when we looked back it was often the most challenging days that became our proudest moments. We now remember with a smile one Friday morning when a huge number of council bins (of all things!) were delivered unexpectedly and threatened to clog up the site causing a variety of logistical issues. As we began struggling to think of a solution, we were quickly joined by a member of our Maintenance team, Darren, followed by Glen and Michail from our security team. The three-hour game of bin Tetris that followed was certainly not in any job description, yet they immediately stepped in to resolve a potential major issue with a smile on their faces. We later discovered other team members, Jordan and Negin, had recognised what was happening and had covered the duties of those involved. It is empowering to know that when facing a tough challenge, you will soon be joined by colleagues on site or from across the company to meet that challenge head on. It is also testament to the hard work that goes into finding the right people, that share our values – Supportive, Dedicated, Meticulous and Smart. Above all, this is our key take away so far. We feel fortunate to be part of terrific teams both on site at SQP as well as our colleagues at other POD sites and the head office support teams.

We have thoroughly enjoyed working for a client with the highest of standards and together we have been uncompromising in working to make SQP a truly exceptional place to call home. For our client, this journey started well before Martin and I joined the team. Working closely with them, we have been able to have input into many areas of site management and there is no doubt this will have a positive impact in the future. Attention to detail has been crucial from day one. To achieve the high standards we are aiming for, everything must be carefully considered from the bespoke buttons on the Concierge jackets to the multiple rounds of contractor proposals and interviews for each contract tender. So much effort goes into ensuring everything is just right, always with the resident experience in mind. It can be an emotional moment when it is finally ready. It is so much more than just a building.

Author: Chris Pass.