A £350 MILLION project in Ebbw Vale has achieved the highest ever score for a tool designed to assess sustainable developments.

The Works has reached the best ever rating for BRE’s master planning tool for creating sustainable communities which is called Greenprint.

The Greenprint is a tool used to assess projects through a series of categories such as climate change, resources, transport and business.

The Works scored highly in all categories and received an overall assessment score of 87 percent.

The regeneration of the former steelworks site started in 2005.

The development will have up to 500 dwellings, a hospital, a three to 11-year-old phase school that includes an integrated childcare centre and special education needs school, a refurbished grade II listed general offices building, the Blaenau Gwent learning zone, sports pitches, leisure centre, business areas, a wetland park, wildlife corridors, public squares, a basement park, town centre link and a new train station.

Huw Lewis, Minister for housing, regeneration and heritage, said: “The Works has really set the bar for future construction projects to follow and I’m happy that Welsh Government funds have been contributed to the development of this important project.”

A Blaenau Gwent spokeswoman said: “Well done to everyone involved with these projects for achieving such a high rating for sustainability.”