Four things taken from Torquay this year

The Chartered Institute of Housing’s South West conference in Torquay seems to have been a success this year, in spite of the cutbacks that have hit sponsorship budgets and delegate numbers and made events like this much more difficult to put on.

The CIH is a key partner for the HCA and this is a really important event for us to be involved in, particularly at a time of reorganisation when colleagues who are new to the patch have the opportunity to meet the sector’s leading local figures and understand the issues that drive delivery here. Even though our sponsorship of the event is a thing of the past, I am glad we maintained a delegate presence this year (NB: three of us were guests, including two speakers).

I certainly found attending yesterday worthwhile, made some good contacts and found out a few nuggets of information which I would not have known if I had stayed in the office. Here are some of the more noteworthy discoveries, along with some thoughts about the event itself.

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‘Stunning’ image shows eco-scheme in vivid detail

Images of what Beechfield Avenue, Torquay, will look like (courtesy of Sovereign)

This new computer-generated image reveals in striking detail Sovereign South+West’s flagship environmentally sustainable housing development, which is currently being developed in Torbay.

It reveals for the first time how the homes in Beechfield Avenue, Torquay, are expected to look when complete. The new project will be the first in Torbay to be built to Levels 4 and 5 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. The HCA supported it last year with an investment of £7m.

The images have been rightly described as ‘stunning’ in the local media today. I am looking forward to seeing the real deal when the scheme is complete.