Miller Homes make good neighbours

Award-winning housebuilder Miller Homes have announced that their Birkacre Park development in Chorley will be subjected to two separate schemes to ensure its neighbourliness.

First, like all Miller Homes developments, it will be inspected at least every 6 months under the Miller Respect scheme. This internal initiative is designed to ensure that the development is a "good neighbour". Within its remit, the site management will be assessed on a range of factors including their consideration of the environment, thought for their neighbours, site presentation and safety, as well as respect for colleagues and attitude to corporate image.

Divisional SH&E Manager of Miller Homes, Dave Hickman, said: "We are determined to do more to develop truly sustainable communities - and Miller Respect is a key part of this.

"The scheme directs all site based staff to increase their focus on environmental factors: we judge them on pollution prevention measures, the methods adopted to reduce nuisance, we look at what they are doing to protect the wildlife and trees onsite and we question what energy and water efficiency methods they have in place. Waste management is also a key area of the audit process.

"In addition, we question how well staff are working with their local communities, whether local schools have been contacted and whether surrounding residents feel they have been advised of our plans. We look at the controls in place for the prevention of any behaviour by our workforce that inconveniences our neighbours and we double check the health and safety procedures employed on site."

Birkacre Park is also verified as a Considerate Construction Site as part of the Eco Homes' "Very Good" rating awarded by the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method [BREEAM]. This independent and voluntary code is monitored by industry experts who visit every site registered with the scheme and report on what they find.

Key to success for the 8 factors evaluated under the scheme is consideration: for the public, for the environment and for those working in the industry.

"Both these schemes are about being thoughtful - about our neighbours and about the environment" says Fred Swinburne, Miller Homes Construction "Birkacre Park is an impressive development, with 149 new homes. Because of this, we will be building at this development for some time, so it is especially important we start off on the right foot with the neighbours.

But both these commitments, the Considerate Construction and the Miller Respect, are fundamental to our approach. We not only build quality homes, but at every stage we are considering the environment, the neighbourhood and our neighbours to build a sense of community."

The community ethos is echoed in the new development which besides offering a choice of 2, 3, 4 and 5 bed homes [priced from £136,950], features a village green with band stand and water feature. The development is located close to Yarrow Country and the new Chorley/A6 by-pass.

For more information, log on to Millerhomes.co.uk.