A SWINDON housing scheme has been praised at a regional awards ceremony.

Sussex Place, which was completed by Willmott Dixon on behalf of Swindon Borough Council, won the best social or affordable new housing development at the Local Authority Building Control West of England Building Awards 2017.

The £10m development in Walcot, which was supported with £750,000 of grant funding from the Homes and Communities Agency, features a total of 48 properties, of which 38 are affordable rent homes with the remaining 10 properties to be sold as low-cost homes.

The regeneration project replaced the former Sussex Square site and was officially unveiled by the Mayor of Swindon Coun Maureen Penny last month.

The homes at Sussex Place are built to Code 4 of the Sustainable Homes Standards and the energy efficiency of the properties will help the tenants to reduce their energy costs.

As further energy and cash-saving features, the properties benefit from energy efficient fabric, good insulation, an efficient boiler and baths and kitchens that reduce water use.

The development also includes a convenience store, post office, fast food outlet, and a community shop and library.

Sussex Place was highly commended in the best volume build category at the awards, while the site manager for the scheme also won site manager of the year.

The LABC awards showcase some of the high quality work being carried out by building and design teams who have had to deal with tough technical or construction issues and constraints they’ve encountered on site.

The awards shine a spotlight on the unique and creative solutions these teams have come up with and their professionalism with regard to the Building Regulations that leads to safe, energy efficient and excellent construction projects.

Sussex Place will now go through to the Building Excellence Grand Finals which this year are taking place on Friday, November 10 at the Westminster Park Plaza in London.

Coun Cathy Martyn, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “I am absolutely thrilled that Sussex Place has been recognised in the LABC regional awards. Our contractor did a great job in delivering the scheme, but I must also pay tribute to the council officers in Housing and Building Control who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to turn this investment in the Walcot community into a reality.

“The regeneration scheme has transformed the whole area and I look forward to seeing similar improvements when our nearby project in Queen’s Drive gets underway. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed Sussex Place does equally well in the national finals later in the year.”