Industry News 5


Award win for Dudley brownfield scheme recognises placemaking excellence in affordable housing


P


latform Housing Group is celebrating aſter Cookley Works in the West Midlands was named Best Affordable Housing


Development 2025 at the Inside Housing Development Awards. Platform said the award recognises a


“transformative” project that turned a derelict five- acre brownfield site in Brierley Hill, Dudley, into a thriving new community of 71 high quality, 100% affordable homes, built to meet local demand. Delivered in partnership with Lovell


Partnerships, West Midlands Combined Authority and Homes England, Cookley Works includes 37 homes for affordable rent and 34 for shared ownership, “giving families and individuals across the West Midlands a real opportunity to put down roots in a secure and aspirational home.” Te HA added: “From the outset, the vision for


Cookley Works was clear: to prove that affordability and aspiration can coexist.” Te development is tenure blind, with thoughtfully designed features including glass balconies, tree-lined streets and landscaped green spaces, creating a neighbourhood that residents are proud to call home. Bringing the long vacant and contaminated


industrial site back into use posed significant challenges, said Platform. “But through close collaboration and determination, the partners delivered a scheme that not only met urgent housing need, but did so with a focus on quality, sustainability and placemaking.” Troughout construction, rigorous checks


carried out by Platform’s in house Quality Team, resulted in a defect rate “far below the


“Cookley Works stands as a blueprint for brownfield regeneration and a proud example of Platform’s mission to create communities where people can thrive”


industry average,” underlining the commitment to excellence. Te site’s heritage has also been honoured with a commemorative statue, connecting the new community to its steelworking past.


“Cookley Works stands as a blueprint for


brownfield regeneration and a proud example of Platform’s mission to create communities where people can thrive.”


Orbit meets target to deliver £100m social value ahead of schedule


Orbit has successfully achieved its goal to deliver £100m in social value by the end of 2025/26 – ahead of its target date. Te milestone was confirmed following an independent audit by HACT (the Housing Associations’ Charitable Trust), which reviewed Orbit’s approach to measuring and reporting the social impact of its activities. Working in close partnership with HACT, Orbit


invited an independent review to ensure its data collection methods and social value calculations meet best practice standards. Orbit said: “Te audit confirmed that the data are of high quality


and that the organisation has accurately applied HACT’s Social Value Bank metrics in calculating the £100 million in social value generated through its services and community initiatives.” Building on this achievement, Orbit is now


collaborating with HACT to develop a “new, expanded framework that captures a broader range of social and economic impacts.” Tis includes the value created through the construction of new affordable homes, repairs, and other key services. Te enhanced approach will underpin a new, more ambitious social value target, set to be announced in 2026.


Housing Management & Maintenance December/January 2026


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