Double award glory for Northamptonshire housebuilder at local ceremony

A Northamptonshire housebuilder is celebrating after winning big at a local business awards ceremony.

East Haddon-based Cora took home the gold award in the Sustainability category at this year’s SME Northamptonshire Business Awards, while Managing Director Luke Simmons scooped silver in the Business Person of the Year category.

The business creates amazing places throughout the Midlands, with developments focused on sustainability and building energy efficient homes for the future.

The shift in focus comes after the business rebranded from Barwood Homes late last year.

Luke said: “We are absolutely thrilled to take home such prestigious awards, in recognition of all the hard work put in over the last year.

“Everyone at Cora is committed to sustainability and creating amazing places that support our environment.

“We are proudly Northamptonshire-based, so winning a local award makes this feeling that extra bit special.”

Cora has invested heavily in renewable energy alternatives on its sites, while it is also researching innovative new ways to heat its homes using waste water recovery systems.

It has also contributed more than £11,000 towards nature preservation in the last year while planting over 9,000 trees and shrubs.

The business also recognises its social responsibility and puts great emphasis on training apprentices and graduates, while setting targets to hire more people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

It has also set a goal of designating 50% of its homes for affordable housing over the next two years.

Luke added: “As a business we recognise the impact our industry has on the world – and we want to make it a better one.

“We are proving that investing in sustainable practices and delivering on our social ambitions can have a real impact not just on our customers, but us as a business too.

“This is a very exciting time for our business and I speak on behalf of the whole team when I say we are looking forward to extending our reach further throughout the Midlands and beyond.”