A WORCESTER-based property developer has been given a national award for work on one of its developments.

Prime was recognised with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors West Midlands Award for its work on the Belong Care Village in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Prime, which is based in Wildwood Drive, was the investment and development partner on the £13.5m scheme developed for not-for-profit care operator Belong.

The scheme was given the top prize in the Community Benefit category.

The RICS Awards recognise the most innovative projects in the region and their impact on local communities.

The Belong Care Village was up against strong competition in the Community Benefit category, which honours projects that engage the community and improve public access to facilities.

Representatives from Prime and Belong, along with architects Pozzoni, were at the awards dinner in Birmingham on May 8 to accept the honours on behalf of the whole project team.

Prime development director Bob Smaylen said: "We are delighted that the Belong Care Village has won the RICS award for Community Benefit.

"It was a challenging project for the development team but the end result has exceeded all our expectations.

"The Belong Care Village has not only transformed a forgotten area of Newcastle-under-Lyme, but it’s also instilled a sense of great pride in the community and it’s fantastic that this remarkable impact has been recognised in the industry."

The project had also been shortlisted in the Regeneration category at the RICS Awards, recognising the scheme’s improvements made to the local area.

Completed in April last year, the Belong Care Village is a care with housing scheme which provides a mix of specialist care services, apartments for independent living and community facilities on a site in Newcastle-under-Lyme which had been derelict for more than 10 years.

At the heart of the development stands a Grade II listed building and former nightclub, which was transformed as part of the project into a resource centre for people living with dementia and an inviting place for the community to celebrate its heritage.