The first phase of the new Urban 180 development, formerly known as Eastern Gateway, at Overend Street, West Bromwich has again been announced winner of a prestigious excellence award. The project, currently delivering over 80 new and contemporary homes in the heart of West Bromwich town centre, has been announced winner in the ‘Social or Affordable Housing’ category in the LABC’s West Midlands Regional Building Excellence Awards.

The project, already a winner in April 2014 in the Building Excellence Awards for the West Midlands Metropolitan area has now beaten off competition from the Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire regions. 

The partnership project between the Accord Group, the Homes and Communities Agency and Sandwell MBC was nominated by the council’s building control team, Sandwell Building Consultancy who provided the approvals for the plans and the project’s on site construction.

Projects have been judged on a range of criteria relating to sustainability, innovation, building performance and project management.  

The striking appearance of the development has been designed by Accord’s InDesign team helped to set the development apart from many similar schemes.  The construction partners, Balfour Beatty, accepted the award at a ceremony on 12 September and the project will now go on to be judged at the national awards, to be held in November 2014.

Sandwell Building Consultancy is currently working with Balfour Beatty and the Accord Group on Phase 2 of the project which will provide a further 34 new homes and apartments that will be completed later this year.

A new landmark building to include 24 further affordable apartments and some community enterprise space will also be developed as a third phase at the corner of Bull Street and High Street. Funding for this phase has been secured under the Homes and Communities Agency’s Affordable Homes Guarantees Programme (2015) and is due to commence from March 2015.