AN EXECUTIVE from Crewe has scooped a Government award for his role in promoting sustainable community development.

Christopher Moorhouse, 58, who lives in Wistaston, was part of a team from Chester-based social housing agent Muir Group applauded by the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott for its role in transforming a rundown estate in Blackpool.

The group, which lets more than 300 homes in Crewe and Nantwich, instigated the turnaround in the Grange Park area of the seaside town by building a new health clinic for more than 1,800 residents and establishing closer ties between police and community groups to crack down on crime.

Mr Moorhouse, a former chief housing officer at Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council, said he was shocked and delighted when his team won the Sustainable Communities Award at a glitzy ceremony in Manchester.

He said: 'We had no idea we had won, so when our names came up it was like winning the Cup!

'We had built 180 new houses in the area, but crime and neglect were so bad some of them were borderline cases for demolition.

'But we refused to give up. There was always a strong community spirit there, so we thought if we built a new health centre and set up links between different groups we might be able to turn it around.

'Sure enough, a school and excellent City Learning Centre followed, and our zero tolerance policy on trouble for our tenants began to spread and crime began to fall.'

Mr Moorhouse believes strongly that the model for success in Blackpool is something that can be re-applied elsewhere.

He said: 'There are problems in areas of South Cheshire like the West End in Crewe where similar methods could have a massive impact. The key thing was getting local residents and local businesses to start taking an interest in their own community by providing them with some basic facilities.'

The Muir Group, which owns properties in Crewe, Nantwich and rural villages like Alpraham and Peck-forton, is considering inviting authorities from the borough council to see the Grange Park project to see if there are any aspects of the scheme they could copy in South Cheshire.