A HOUSING group has scooped five awards, including for a development near a historic watch factory site in Prescot.

The Prescot-based Livv Housing Group – a registered social landlord in Knowsley – claimed the awards at the Northern Housing Awards.

The awards shine a light on exceptional individuals and organisations who make it their mission to improve homes and communities across the north.

Among the gongs received by the group was the Best Affordable Housing Development (£20m+) award, for the Watchfactory Phase Two scheme in Prescot.

READ > One of St Helens' most iconic buildings undergoes transformation

This comprises of 191 new homes for affordable rent, shared ownership and rent to buy. The development wraps around the existing Grade II listed Watchfactory building that was redeveloped into a care housing scheme in 2018.

List of awards won by Livv Housing

Best Resident Support / Wellbeing Initiative for the Healthy Lifestyle Choices project

Designed to promote physical and mental wellbeing as well as community connectivity, Livv Housing Group has collaborated with partners across Knowsley, each with their own expertise, assets and relationships to provide a comprehensive programme that meets the needs of individual customers. In the last cohort, 91% of participants reported an improvement in mental health.

Best Affordable Housing Development (£20m+) for the Watchfactory Phase Two in Prescot

The Watchfactory Phase Two comprises of 191 new homes for affordable rent, Shared Ownership and Rent to Buy. It wraps around the existing Grade II listed Watchfactory building that was redeveloped into the Extra Care scheme in 2018. It includes apartments, houses and inspired living (older people’s shared ownership scheme) bungalows, communal facilities and shared open spaces.

Best approach to decarbonisation

By using customer intelligence to prioritise improvements, Livv Housing Group is on-track to achieve EPC ratings of C on all customer homes by 2025. In the past year, £5.2m has been invested to reduce carbon emissions through the installation of loft, wall and floor insulation, triple-glazed windows and solar PV systems. In addition, Livv Housing is decarbonising its own estate which has included a complete refurbishment of their head office in Prescot.

Northern Housing Partnership of the Year – Livv Housing Group and Flutter Shutter

Livv Housing Group has been working with academics at Liverpool John Moore’s University to consider new technologies through the Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory. Flutter Shutter, successfully piloted last year, offers energy savings equivalent to triple glazing of up to £235 per year for customers.

Landlord of the Year

Livv Housing manages 13,000 homes and supports 28,000 customers. Through innovative partnerships, judges saw how Livv Housing Group addresses challenges like the cost of living crisis, food and fuel poverty and young people’s mental health to create positive impact and flourishing communities.