KINGMOOR Park Properties has won a prestigious national award after being identified as one of the best examples of a public/private sector partnership in the UK.

The company, which has made a huge success of the Bridgewater Business Park in Leigh, scooped the accolade in the coveted Property Management Awards, which are organised by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Brian Scowcroft, head of Kingmoor Park Properties, paid £7.2 million to kick-start the company in 1999, after a tenure as chief executive of Swinton Insurance, which was founded by his father, Ken, in 1958.

The family sold 30 per cent of Swinton to Alliance and Leicester (A&L) in 1987 for £15 million, before A&L bought the rest in 1990 for over £100 million. Kingmoor bought the Bridgewater Business Park for £3 million in 2002.

Salford-born Mr Scowcroft, who turned down a £12 million offer for a controlling stake in Manchester United some years ago, said: "We are delighted to have won such an accolade. It is a real team effort and a fitting tribute to the hard work and commitment of all the team at Kingmoor Park."