Blaby District Council has won a major national award after being shortlisted in the annual LGC Awards for the New Lubbesthorpe development.
This is Blaby District Council’s second award in two years. Last year the Council won best Public/Public Partnership at the 2018 LGC Awards for the Lightbulb Project.
The Council was shortlisted in the Housing Initiative category, which looked at how local authorities devise imaginative solutions to ease problems including a shortage of both market and affordable housing.
New Lubbesthorpe will be built over the next 20 years and have 4,250 homes on completion.
The Council has ensured that 873 of these will be affordable homes. Over 200 properties are now occupied; with up to 315 homes a year being completed.
Featuring more than 300 acres of open space, New Lubbesthorpe will also have a district centre with community, health and leisure facilities as well a secondary school and two primary schools. The first primary school is under construction and set to open in September.
One key area of judging was Blaby District Council’s ‘ability to work with other organisations and members of the public to provide solutions.’ Since the first houses became occupied, a dedicated Community Worker has been employed to create a close-knit neighbourhood.
Six other councils, including Norwich City Council and a joint bid from 15 local authorities in Essex competed in the Housing Initiative category.
John Richardson, Strategic Director at Blaby District Council said: “We are so proud to be recognised by the LGC. This award is testament to the hard work of the team of staff who have worked over the last decade to take New Lubbesthorpe from a vision to an award-winning development.
“Since ground was broken in 2015 we have worked with house builders and landowners to deliver a superb new area of the district for families to make their home and enhance the District of Blaby as a great place to live, work and visit.”
The awards ceremony took place at London’s Grosvenor House venue on 13 March 2019.
The video shown to the judges of this award is on YouTube and can be found by visiting https://www.youtube.com/watch?