Two Oxfordshire housing developers are in the race to win national awards for sustainable development.

Greencore Homes and Castlethorpe Homes are finalists in the first ever Making Better Homes Awards, launched by national builders' merchant Jewson.

Greencore is contending for Best Sustainable Project of the Year, while Castlethorpe is hopeful for Best Use of Renewable Energy.

The awards, aimed at recognising tradespeople creating energy-efficient, safe, and comfortable homes, received a flood of entries countrywide.

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A judging panel assessed all entries, shortlisting three top-scoring projects in each category.

Winners will be announced at a ceremony due later this year.

The Greencore project spotlighted its partnership with Hook Norton Community Land Trust, designing a community centre, four private sale, and eight affordable rental homes with a "climate positive" design.

Becks Hyseni, site manager for Greencore Homes, said: "Each home is powered by electricity rather than gas and we utilise renewable energy sources targeted to supply 100% of the energy required in use. We call this climate positive. 

"We target the whole structure of each home to be better than net zero in terms of embodied carbon, with no offsetting required."

Castlethorpe’s entry, The Paddocks, in Hampshire, showcased their new build family home integrating renewable energy solutions and sustainable features, with being in sync with local surroundings.

Chris Warner, managing director of Castlethorpe Homes, said: "Being a finalist for the Making Better Homes Awards is an amazing achievement and recognition for all the hard work."