MIDLANDS HOUSING ASSOCIATION RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR AWARD WINNING HOMES IN SOUTH BIRMINGHAM

August 1 2006

A Birmingham housing association has won two awards which recognise its contribution to the regeneration of communities in South Birmingham.

Bournville Village Trust (BVT) was presented with the Gold Green Apple Award for environmental excellence, out of thousands of entries from across the UK. The one hundred year old housing association has also reached the final in the regional Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) awards for its contribution to the multi million pound regeneration of Shenley in South Birmingham.

The Shenley regeneration project includes eco friendly homes, powered by solar technology, which are built into the hillside in Shenley Green. The earth sheltered homes point towards the South to maximise the non-polluting and free warmth from the sun and have high insulation levels, minimising bills for the occupiers. Solar panels in the roof pre-heat the cold water before it goes into the hot tank, and many of the properties have spectacular sun spaces, like two storey conservatories that insulate and provide warmth to the buildings, as well as providing an additional room. Solar panels were used for the first time by the Trust in the early 1980’s in the Rowheath development in South Birmingham.

Now in its twelfth year, the Green Apple Award is established as one of the top environmental award schemes in the UK, supported by the Environment Agency, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, the Municipal Journal and numerous other official bodies.

Accepting the award from conservationist, David Bellamy, on behalf of Bournville Village Trust, Alan Shrimpton, Director of Estates said: "We follow the philosophy of our founder George Cadbury which is to improve the quality of life for ordinary working people, with high quality housing development in socially mixed communities. We are delighted that our track record of quality homes that respect the environment is recognised nationally. We are determined to continue to provide our tenants with homes that are sustainable."