The redevelopment of the former Broxburn Primary School in West Lothian has been named Affordable Housing Development of the Year at the 2017 Homes for Scotland Awards.
Lovell was presented with the award at a special ceremony at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre this afternoon (Friday 12th May).
Constructed on behalf of West Lothian Council on the former Broxburn Primary School site, the new purpose built residential flats are designed specifically for older people and to enable them to live as independently as possible.
Creating minimal impact on the surrounding area, Broxburn – Housing for Older People utilised many of the original 1890’s sandstone buildings’ features. Two new buildings were also constructed to create 18 one and two bedroom flats arranged around a shared courtyard and garden area.
Demonstrating Lovell’s strong commitment to investing in the local area, 80 per cent of subcontractors working on the project came from within 40km of the project site. Running alongside the development programme, Lovell also made particular efforts to establish an educational schools and colleges programme. This included a Health and Safety team visit to the new Broxburn Primary School, giving pupils an opportunity to learn about good health and safety practice and the dangers of building sites.
The Homes for Scotland awards were established in 2003 to recognise and promote best practice in the industry. Building on the success of 2016’s refreshed and refocused awards, the 2017 programme introduced more stringent judging criteria and site visits, making these awards particularly sought after.
On winning the Affordable Housing Development of the Year category, Sarah Freel from Lovell commented:
“Everyone at Lovell is thrilled that our new development on Broxburn’s West Main Street has been named Affordable Housing Development of the Year at this year’s coveted Homes for Scotland awards.
“Lovell have been building affordable partnership homes for over 45 years, even selling the UK’s first ever affordable partnership development back in 1972. We are committed to working with a range of local partners to deliver housing that is carefully tailored to the needs of the local community. It’s really gratifying for such a collaborative project to be recognised through these awards and we are very grateful to everyone involved in bringing the project to life.”
