Delivering the highest levels of consideration during the work on the A40 Penblewin to Slebech Park road improvement scheme, has won contractors Costain Ltd a prestigious Gold Award from the Considerate Constructors Scheme.

The annual awards, run by the Considerate Constructors Scheme, recognise the highest levels of consideration and care shown by construction sites throughout the UK towards their local neighbourhood and the general public, site staff and the environment. Only 88 UK sites achieved the gold standard this year from over 8500, making this site's achievement particularly significant.

The whole length of this extensive site was judged to have given the highest levels of attention to every area of considerate site practice, and was described by the Scheme Monitor in his report as 'absolutely exemplary'. The list of community support activities was almost endless, and included the painting of seven community halls, the provision of Christmas lunches for elderly people, extensive engagement with schools and colleges and the organisation of a sponsored walk with 600 people which raised more than £1,500 for charity. Environmental initiatives included the fitting of otter ledges with an otter cam, barn owl nesting boxes, reptile and vegetation translocation, water monitoring, wildflower seeding and the planting of indigenous trees.

In a long letter on behalf of the client, project engineer Martin Leech said: "The contractor's relationship with the local community was excellent. The Costain team were pro-active in raising charitable funds through a variety of activities and the attention paid to protection of the environment was recognised by the Environment Agency (Wales). The performance of the site team and the approach to working in partnership was recognised by their winning Project of the Year, Constructing Excellence in Wales Award - a most fitting tribute to a job well done."

The award was accepted on behalf of Costain by Philip Baker at a prestigious ceremony held at the Plaisterers' Hall in London.

Presenting the award, Richard Brindley, executive director of the Royal Institute of British Architects said: "The RIBA's purpose is to champion better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and the CCS objectives are synergic with those aims. I am pleased to offer my congratulations on behalf of the architects' profession to all of this year's winners and to thank them for the great standards they are achieving for our construction industry."

The Considerate Constructors Scheme exists to improve the image of the construction industry by encouraging and rewarding the highest levels of site consideration towards local neighbourhoods and the general public, site operatives and the environment. Since its inception, over 60,000 sites in the UK have registered with the Scheme.