"When The Chief Executive of a major volume housebuilder can stand up, hand on heart, and say he is trying to build homes on wonderful, sustainable estates that are a joy to live in, you know this is a company that stands out from the crowd." So says Jon Rouse, former CABE chief executive, of Crest Nicholson, and it is difficult to argue with that. The housebuilder is currently working with Birmingham council to regenerate the Lee Bank council estate and neglected parkland, which up until now has been regarded as a no-go area for police and public alike. This desertion will be a thing of the past when the project is complete: the £33m mixed-use scheme will boast a wildflower meadow and a central piazza with a theatre to keep residents entertained. As well as coming to the attention of the community, Crest has also caught the eye of those at the top. Its Ingress Park site in Greenhithe, designed by architect Gardner Stewart, was chosen by Tony Blair and John Prescott as the site from which to launch the government's Sustainable Communities Plan.
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