TWO buildings in the Malvern area and a construction firm based in the town have won accolades in a development competition

The Buildings Excellence Awards scheme is run by the South Worcestershire Building Control Partnership, which includes Malvern Hills, Wychavon and Worcester councils.

The scheme highlights and rewards high-quality building projects by local developers and construction companies, with the winners selected by a panels of judges from the tree authorities.

Winning the best individual new home category was Fred Chalcroft, for a house in Castlemorton.

The house, a replacement for one badly damaged by fire, was described by judges as "a truly sustainable dwelling incorporating renewable technologies, high modern insulation standards and home office facilities".

The award for best extension to an existing home was scooped by builder Anthony Francis for a garage and utility room extension in Malvern.

The judging panel said that "the character, appearance and thermal performance of the property have been greatly enhanced".

And Malvern Link-based Speller Metcalfe went home with the award for best social/affordable housing for a group of ten homes in North Littleton, near Evesham, which was praised for its "renewable technology, A-plus rated appliances and lifetime energy monitoring".

The awards were presented at Worcestershire County Cricket Club, and Jack Hegarty of Wychavon District Council said: “Good building workmanship so rarely gets appreciated as too often the focus has been on the problems associated with building failures. This event was designed to help change this perception by not only demonstrating the range of talented building professionals in the county, but how the three councils are working closely with them.”