Major Welsh housing provider joins national sustainability group

Published by Andrew Eagles for Sustainable Homes in Housing and also in Communities

Cartrefi Conwy, becomes the first Welsh social housing association to join leading sustainability benchmarking initiative, SHIFT. With members spanning the majority of the UK – England, Scotland and Wales – housing associations nationwide are beginning to see the benefits of independently assessing the sustainability of their organization.

SHIFT is the environmental benchmark methodology used to assess an organisation’s sustainability credentials. The Sustainable Homes Index For Tomorrow (SHIFT) was developed with the support of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), WWF, the Mayor of London and UK Green Building Council (UKGBC).

Andrew Bowden, Chief Executive at Cartrefi Conwy, said: “Cartrefi Conwy is committed to the provision of sustainable affordable quality housing. As one of a few housing associations on target to achieving Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) by end of 2012, we are ahead of the game. Cartrefi Conwy’s investment in various refurbishment projects demonstrates our commitment to achieving a sustainable community for individuals.  Membership to SHIFT will allow us to further meet our objectives in a nationally recognised manner.”

Andrew Eagles, Managing Director of Sustainable Homes welcomed Cartrefi Conwy, saying: “We are very pleased to welcome Cartrefi Conwy, our first Welsh housing association to SHIFT.  Cartrefi Conwy are leaders in ensuring sustainable homes are available in Wales. The growth of SHIFT membership has been tremendous over the years and Cartrefi Conwy supports this growth in bringing new experiences to SHIFT.”

SHIFT scheme is the independent assessment methodology organisations use to gauge their environmental performance. The SHIFT Index is administrated by Sustainable Homes. Members are accredited on a scale of Bronze to Platinum. In addition to Cartrefi Conwy over 50 other organisations are involved throughout the UK. 

Corporate partners associated with SHIFT include Devonshires Solicitors, Diamond Build, H+H, Inside Housing, Kingspan Potton, Mears, SolarTech, and VPhase.

Notes:

Cartrefi Conwy was established in 2008 after the transfer of Conwy County Borough Council’s housing stock. Located in North Wales, Cartrefi Conwy manages approximately 3,800 homes and 159 leaseholder flats of which approximately one third is sheltered accommodation for elderly or vulnerable persons. They are committed to providing sustainable affordable quality homes for local communities. www.cartreficonwy.org

The SHIFT Index is a sustainability benchmark and best practice learning network with members owning and managing approximately one million homes nationwide. Sustainable Homes acts as the secretariat for SHIFT Index and is the leading provider of sustainable housing training and consultancy in the UK. www.sustainablehomes.co.uk

For more information about SHIFT please contact

Andrew Eagles, Managing Director, Sustainable Homes

info@sustainablehomes.co.uk                 0208 973 0420

For further information on Cartrefi Conwy please contact

Caroline Naughton, Communications Manager, Cartrefi Conwy

caroline.naughton@cartreficonwy.org            0149 280 5506