Heather scheme wins top award

Published by Nicki for Nottingham Community Housing Association Ltd in Housing

6th October 2010

HEATHER SCHEME WINS TOP AWARD

Nottingham Community Housing Association  (NCHA)has built a scheme of homes near Coalville to achieve thefirst  ever coveted 'A+' rating under the independent ourplace© quality rating scheme.

The 11 dwellings on Swepstone Road in Heather has been developed in partnership with North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC).

The council's new rigorous and thorough approach to urban design has led to them developing their own ourplace© standard for housing scheme designs.  The scoring covers everything from the facilities available locally such as transport links, right down to the details of the scheme and its environmental impact.

NWLDC has taken the Commission for the Built Environment's own 'Building for Life' standard and developed it further to award schemes an ourplace© rating which will then be published on their website.  People can then make an educated choice on which home would be better to live in and to promote good housing design.

The Heather scheme is a mixture of two and three bed roomed houses and some two bed bungalows.  Nine of the properties are for affordable rent with two homes offering Rent to Homebuy bringing much-needed affordable homes to local families in North West Leicestershire.

NCHA will be presented with a certificate to recognise the top score in the ourplace© scheme at a ceremony on 30th September.  Presenting the award will be Leader of the Council Richard Blunt who said

"Prior to 2008 all our new housing schemes were either poor or average and now 87% are either good or very good. The houses we build today are our legacy for future generations and raising the standard is a personal goal for me whilst I am Leader of NW Leicestershire.This new development not only provides much needed affordable housing but makes a positive contribution to Heather. It also has high environmental credentials so it not only meets our design expectations but complements our Green Footprints Challenge initiative."

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Notes to Editors: see attached

ourplace is an initiative that seeks to encourage and inspire people to create and expect places that contribute positively to our everyday lives and support our natural, built and social environment. As part of the initiative quality rating certificates are issued for new homes and neighbourhoods by participating local authorities. The certificates are designed to help home buyers find their ideal place to live.

Four rating tiers are available, from A+ through to C, with A+ and A ratings offering a very good or good standard of design. Ratings are based upon the Building for Life standards - the national standard for new homes and neighbourhoods.

ourplace was created by North West Leicestershire District Council and is being piloted within a number of local authorities in partnership with CABE. ourplace is © North West Leicestershire District Council, trademark application pending.

To find out more about ourplace please visit www.findourplace.com or alternatively ask your Sales Advisor. Discover more about the national standards for well designed homes and neighbourhoods at www.buildingforlife.org

Our small print 

Certificates are intended for guidance purposes only. Ratings are based upon the Building for Life standard and determined in accordance with information submitted by the developer to the local planning authority. Ratings are based on the information submitted as part of the approved planning application. An A+ or A rated development may, but will not necessarily qualify for a Building for Life 'Gold' or 'Silver' award. 'Gold' and 'Silver' awards are only awarded by the Building for Life Partnership and can be only awarded once the development is fully completed.

The Building for Life Partnership is managed by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and the Home Builders Federation. Whilst rating certificates are issued by an accredited Building for Life Assessor, ratings are not endorsed by the Building for Life Partnership. Accredited Building for Life Assessors are subject to annual audits to ensure that their ratings are consistent and objective. Neither the Council nor the Building for Life Partnership will accept any liability for developments that fail to meet the required standard post completion.

NCHA, rated in the top quartile of housing associations on measure of performance, provides over 8,000 homes for 15,000 tenants in the East Midlands and works with 27 local authorities. NCHA also supports 2,305 vulnerable people through its extensive provision of housing with care and support services.

To read our 2009 Annual Report visit  www.ncha.org.uk