Westdale Midland Ltd's commitment to customer care, quality, design and to a community benefits legacy, is all on display in Coventry.
Westdale Midlands is delighted to be working with Citizen Housing Group on 1200 of their properties in Coventry. The fabric-first retrofit project will deliver energy-saving measures through the Wave 2 Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) funding scheme.
A large scale social housing refurbishment principal contractor, Westdale prides itself on making housing improvements in communities, especially for the people who live within them. The high-quality work benefits from award-winning ArtBrick, which respects local architectural heritage. Citizen’s bold move to rip up the original program followed an analysis of which homes faced the greatest challenges, driving the best possible outcomes for it’s residents. Not only have we made a difference to all people across the area, the teamwork had led to the collaboration being nominated for several awards
“At Westdale, we appreciate that success is more about meeting people’s needs than it is about technology.” – Mike Rothwell, Chief Design Manager
In addition to exemplary work, Westdale is committed to making a positive impact and giving back to communities. Our typical community benefits included making food bank donations, supporting local Scouts, playing Santa with select box drop-off at local schools, and compassionate acts such as providing residents with essentials. We have also purchased phones as a means of communication for elderly and vulnerable residents. These benefits are usual for a large-scale retrofit project for a Westdale retrofit project.
The Westdale scheme is unique in bringing long-lasting opportunities through the creation of a ground-breaking External Wall Insulation (EWI) Training Academy. This aims to bring unemployed people from the communities into the construction industry, specifically training them to install EWI. The training course includes the opportunity to gain full-time employment upon successful completion of the course. Westdale aims to provide new employment for 40 people by the close of Wave 2. Working closely with Coventry College, we take suitable students via their established Job Shop. The Westdale scheme helps to bring fresh talent into our industry.
The initiative was recently recognised by West Midlands Combined Authority when Westdale won the Trainer of the Year 2024 and Employer (small) of the Year 2024 awards.
“What Westdale is offering is unlike anything else. Through the course, I showed myself what I can achieve if I put my mind to it. It has been life-changing for me, and with this chance, people can develop and change for the better.” – Liam Pollard, Full-Time Boarder with Westdale Midlands
An overarching reason for work to these homes is the quest to Net Zero. The target for the scheme is for 1,200 homes to achieve a minimum EPC rating of ‘C’, improving the quality of life of nearly 3,000 people. The unique nature of the scheme’s wok, and the collaboration with local communities has naturally attracted attention, and Westdale has been thrilled to host many visits from government representatives. DESNZ has made numerous visits to sites and the training facility, as has the them major of West Midlands, Andy Street, and Kate Henderson, CEO of the National Housing Federation.
Our customer focused approach benefits not only the client, but the residents and wider communities.
“I didn’t want the work done initially, but once the work had started, all my worries and concerns disappeared. My house now feels much warmer, and I’m not having to put my gas fire on, which previously was running constantly. My family have noticed a difference in my house and say it feels like I have air conditioning when it’s hot outside.” – A resident who has benefitted from Westdale’s work.
Into the Future
Westdale has already undergone a business transition and, alongside their award-winning fabric-first measures, are now bringing renewables front and centre of their one-stop-shop offer. By delivering cutting-edge technologies like heat pumps and solar PV installations, we can ensure that homes receive all of the necessary measures required to achieve Net Zero. Westdale’s team, including the recruits who have completed our training, look forward to repeating the successes of this project across the country.
