Construction Award

Liverpool Habitat for Humanity Receives the North West Regional Construction 'People and Jobs' Award

Liverpool's Habitat for Humanity Project Excels at Construction Awards

A LIVERPOOL housing project that's helping low-paid people get onto the property ladder has triumphed at the North West Regional Construction Awards.

Charity Makes Ownership Dream a Reality

Liverpool Habitat for Humanity (LHFH) is building 32 three-bedroom homes on just over two acres of land donated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Kingsley Road, Toxteth. Drummers and singers gathered at the site to celebrate the completion of Phase 1 of the project, the first in the North West and the UK's largest

The Liverpool Habitat for Humanity scheme, which is currently, received the ‘People and Jobs' award at the ceremony to celebrate the most innovative construction projects in the region.

Judges praised the project for its "outstanding contribution to social development and cohesion within the heartland of Liverpool.," at the annual ceremony, which took place at the Hilton Hotel, Manchester. Next year's event will be held in Liverpool.

The Granby/Toxteth project is one of only a handful of Habitat for Humanity builds in the UK and the first in the north west.

The international charity is dedicated to eliminating global poverty housing and relies on donations of money and materials, as well as the labour of volunteers and future homeowners alike to build homes.

The scheme is unique in that it allows home buyers not only to afford a brand new home, but they can take pride in knowing they have helped to build it.

In Liverpool, prospective home owners are given the opportunity to substitute a costly cash deposit by instead investing 500 hours of ‘sweat equity' on the construction of their new home. This labour then counts as a £10,000 down payment on the property.

The home buyers work closely with other volunteers, under the supervision of trained site managers, and many businesses from across Liverpool and the north west have also been on site to volunteer in team building sessions.

The development is situated on just over two acres of land on Kingsley Road, in Liverpool 8, which was donated by the Roman Catholic Church. The first three homes within the development are due to be finished this summer and the whole scheme is expected to take around five years.

On receiving the award, Chair of Liverpool Habitat for Humanity, Rev. Shannon Ledbetter commented: "The People and Jobs category is contested by schemes that have stimulated economic activity in areas remote from growth.

We are delighted that our project was recognised for the role it has played in helping local people to develop new skills, whilst at the same time creating decent, low-cost housing."

Making it a double celebration for Liverpool Habitat for Humanity, the scheme has also been recognised as an innovative and positive influence on the construction industry and has been put forward as a ‘Constructing Excellence National Demonstration Project'.

Administered by ‘Constructing Excellence in the built environment' - a unique bridge between industry, clients, government and the research community - Demonstration Projects are live construction projects that are innovating or applying an element of best practice, which it is hoped will lead to a step-change in performance for the organisations involved.

Shannon adds: "It is fantastic that we are being recognised as an example of an innovative housing scheme and at the forefront for positive change in construction."

For further information about applying for a property or volunteering with Liverpool Habitat for Humanity, tel: 0151 280 6232, e-mail: info@liverpoolhfh.org.uk, or visit: www.liverpoolhfh.org.uk.

The 2008 North West Regional Construction awards will be held in the new Liverpool Convention Centre to coincide with Liverpool's European Capital of Culture status. Applicants will be invited from July 1st 2007. For further information check at: www.ccinw.com.

Further information on National Demonstration Projects: www.constructingexcellence.org.uk/resources/demonstrationprojects