City Legacy Homes, the consortium that built the Athletes’ Village for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, has been honoured by the city to celebrate winning the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development.

Glasgow City Council’s Lord Provost, Eva Bolander, in her role as Lord Lieutenant, hosted the civic reception where she presented the crystal Queen’s Award for Enterprise to directors of the City Legacy consortium - Calum Murray of CCG, John Gallacher of Cruden, Ed Monaghan of Mactaggart & Mickel and Martin Kiely of WH Malcolm, at the city chambers.

The Queen’s Awards are the highest official UK awards for British businesses. Each year they are presented to companies to recognise outstanding achievements in the categories of innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity through social mobility.

City Legacy now joins an elite group of organisations which have received, and are permitted to bear the Queen’s Award emblem. This also marks the 25th accolade that the Athletes’ Village has won for its high quality design, energy efficiency and sustainability.

The Athletes’ Village has been a huge success story in the role it has played in regenerating the east end of Glasgow. Comprising 700 homes and a 120-bed care home, it first provided accommodation for 6,500 athletes and officials during the 2014 Commonwealth Games before being converted into residences as part of the overall project. Demand for the homes was unprecedented, selling out two years ahead of schedule.

In July, City Legacy directors Ed Monaghan and Calum Murray attended a reception for this year’s Queen’s Award winners at Buckingham Palace which was hosted by HRH The Queen.

Martin Kiely, MD of WH Malcolm, and director of City Legacy, said: “It’s been a rewarding and inspiring journey from idea to delivery on the Athletes’ Village, and this award really belongs to the staff at all four companies – CCG, Cruden, Mactaggart & Mickel and WH Malcolm – who worked tirelessly for years to ensure the success of the project. We are grateful, too, for the excellent working partnership we enjoyed with Glasgow City Council throughout delivering the project.

“We knew from day one that The Village would offer a lasting legacy for Glasgow’s East End, and with a decision on planning permission for the second phase of this development expected in the coming weeks, we hope to begin the next chapter of this amazing success story.”

The Lord Provost Eva Bolander said: “Lord Provost Eva Bolander said; “One of the great legacies of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games was the Athletes’ Village, home to the athletes in that fantastic summer and now the site of 700 homes that has won widespread acclaim. The council’s partner in delivering the Athletes’ Village was the City Legacy consortium, and I am delighted that their work has been recognised by this Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development. The Athletes’ Village was key – along with the Emirates Arena and the Clyde Gateway route - in the regeneration of Dalmarnock, which now has a new community centre, nursery, woodland park, and care home, with a new primary school on the way.”