Mid Devon Housing (MDH), in partnership with Zed Pods, continues its streak of success with yet another accolade for its innovation and delivery of much-needed net-zero social housing.

Following on from national award wins earlier this year, St Andrews House, Cullompton has won the “Project of the Year by a Specialist Contractor’ category at the Construction News Specialist Awards 2024 in London on 5 September. The development was designed and built by Zed Pods who has worked in partnership with Mid Devon Housing.

This category celebrates outstanding achievement by a specialist contractor and client on a specific project, where the total value of the specialist’s contribution to the project adds up to £2m or less. Competing against seven other finalists from various sectors, the project stood out for its innovation and social value.

The panel of judges praised the St Andrews House project for its exemplary execution, commenting: 

“The Zed Pods presentation was excellent, rich in content, and supported by strong evidence. It clearly demonstrated innovation, social value, environmental impact, productivity, customer satisfaction, and future opportunities. The implementation of the Prisoner Building Homes programme was exceptional, with a zero-re-offending rate. The aftercare for residents using smart building technology was also impressive.”

Councillor Simon Clist, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Assets & Property, said:

“We are proud to see our efforts in delivering innovative, net-zero social housing recognised at the national level. Winning the Project of the Year award underscores our commitment to sustainable development while addressing local housing needs.”

Tom Northway, Chairman of Zed Pods, said:

“We are thrilled that St Andrews House continues to gain recognition, affirming our collaborative efforts with the council to transform their underutilised brownfield sites delivering affordable, zero-operational-carbon homes for the local community.”

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The latest triumph builds upon a series of significant achievements for Mid Devon Housing and Zed Pods. In July 2024, the partnership was celebrated at the Constructing Excellence South West (CESW) Awards, where they were shortlisted for six categories and took home two major wins:

• Climate Action
• Building Project of the Year (Up to £5 Million)

Additionally, Mid Devon District Council received national attention earlier this summer, winning the “Client of the Year” award at the Construction News Awards 2024.

Councillor Clist added:

“It is important to recognise that these achievements would not be possible without the hard work of staff and partnerships behind the scenes – a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in the process.”

To date Mid Devon District Council and its two projects at Shapland Place, Tiverton and St Andrews, Cullompton have been shortlisted in a combined total of 22 categories from 11 different awards organisers.

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Mid Devon Housing is committed to not only building more social housing for local people, but doing it in a high quality, low environmental impact way that meets the needs of tenants. This future proofs the Council in terms of its net-zero carbon goals and reduces life-time maintenance costs for its properties.

For more information about council housing developments, visit the Mid Devon Housing Development Hub.