Gloucester-based housebuilder Newland Homes has been named 'Housebuilder of the Year' at the South West Residential Property Awards.

The awards honour the work of housebuilders, developers, architects and other property industry professionals from across the South West.

Newland Homes, which is based in Barnwood, scooped the top accolade, with the judges praising the local company for its 'strong sustainability credentials, good values and diversity of projects'.

The company recently unveiled its latest development in Leckhampton. Called Pear Trees, the collection of 27 brand new, zero carbon homes are powered by renewable technologies and represent a new era for sustainable housing development, prompting the judges to define this type of home as 'trailblazing'.

Each of the five-bedroomed, detached homes boast solar panels which convert sunlight into energy. Homes have been orientated to maximise solar gain and the energy generated by the solar panels is used to help power the home's air source heat pump (ASHP), which extracts warmth from outside air to heat water for underfloor heating, radiators and hot water in place of a traditional gas boiler.

The result is that these homes are power houses in their own right; creating as much regulated prime energy as they need to run and therefore reducing energy costs and minimising the impact that everyday living has on the environment.

The homes emit no net carbon in use, a marked reduction from the 3.6 tonnes of CO2 emitted per annum by the average UK home (according to the HBF Watt a Save report in Feb 2023).

The homes at Pear Trees achieve the highest possible 'A' rating for both energy efficiency and environmental impact.

Marcus Evans, sales & marketing director for Newland Homes, said: "The competition was fierce and we were competing against the best in the business across the whole of the South West, so to achieve the top award of Housebuilder of the Year is a monumental triumph for our dedicated team."

Marcus added: "The calibre of entries was high, but our commitment to delivering zero carbon homes was recognised as fundamentally changing the way homes are designed, built and run.

"We have embraced new renewable technologies and our homebuyers have embraced this new, more sustainable way of life, which makes a valuable contribution to the environment. We're pleased to be able to continue delivering these pioneering homes across the South West."

Newland Homes is an independent housebuilder and the company began in Cheltenham in 1991, before relocating to Barnwood.

Newland Homes was the first traditional housebuilder in the UK to sign the United Nations Climate Neutral Now Pledge, which is a commitment to measure greenhouse gas emissions, implement means to reduce them, to consider offsetting and to report progress annually.

The company is on course to achieve at least a 50% reduction in carbon footprint by the end of 2024. Diesel is no longer used in any of its site construction vehicles, and instead these are powered by Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), a cleaner and greener alternative. Furthermore, the company has been recognised by Carbon Neutral Britain as a carbon neutral business.

Tailor-made viewings are available daily between 11am to 5pm, seven days a week at Pear Trees in Leckhampton. Call 01242 350380 to book a tailor-made tour. 

For further information and to view the homes available online please visit www.newlandhomes.co.uk/leckhampton  or follow Newland Homes on socials @newlandhomes