Rugby MP Mark Pawsey visited Bellway’s Houlton Meadows development in the town to find out more about new ways of delivering utilities infrastructure.
Mr Pawsey met Bellway staff during the visit in April, as well as representatives from the Independent Networks Association (INA), which represents leading independent utility network owners and operators, Last Mile Asset Management, which operates the electricity, gas and water networks at Houlton Meadows, and independent connections provider for the development, Aim Utilities.
The visit outlined the benefits for housebuilders of using independent networks – which in 2019 connected 80 per cent of new homes to the gas grid and 71 per cent to the electricity network – as opposed to the traditional single-utility distribution networks.
The MP, who has represented Rugby since 2010, is a member of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee in Parliament, as well as a vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Housing and Planning.
Houlton Meadows, off Crick Road, Rugby, is one of many Bellway South Midlands sites where independent networks have been used.
Mr Pawsey said:
“‘I was pleased to visit Houlton Meadows to see the progress on site and to understand the important work of independent energy distribution networks in building the homes we need to tackle the housing crisis.
“I was particularly interested to hear about the importance of independent distribution network operators in making sure houses are built on schedule, and I will particularly bear this in mind during my work on the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy committee work.”
Simon Hudson, Construction Director for Bellway South Midlands, said:
“It was an immense pleasure to welcome Mark Pawsey MP to Houlton Meadows to discuss sustainability and energy infrastructure in the housebuilding industry. He was extremely knowledgeable on the subject, as was to be expected, and it was useful for us to be able to explain the relative benefits of using independent networks instead of the traditional single-utility distribution networks when building our new homes across the country, and at Houlton Meadows in particular."