WIREDGOV

An innovative affordable housing scheme that will provide future lessons for eco-development has started on site in Mansfield.

Three special eco-friendly houses are being built within an existing site at Blake Street.  Owned by Nottingham Community Housing Association (NCHA), one of the houses will eventually be their first carbon-zero home.

The project has been supported by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and Mansfield District Council (MDC).  The three houses will be built to levels four, five and six of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH).  Level Six is the highest possible rating creating a zero-carbon home.  The land has been gifted to NCHA by Mansfield District Council.

By building the houses across three levels, NCHA hopes to demonstrate the pros and cons of increased construction costs against energy saving costs for the future tenants.  the different levels of houses will be built with increasing levels of insulation, solar photovoltaic cells, mechanical heat recovery and ventilation systems, and rainwater harvesting.. to name but a few.

Work has just commenced on site and Councillor Heather Henshaw, Portfolio Holder for Housing at MDC said "I am thrilled that the Council has been able to support such an innovative new housing project in Mansfield.  This puts us at the forefront of environmentally sustainable house-building.  As well as being beneficial to the environment, the scheme should also lead to major reductions in the cost of living for the tenants there."

Margaret Allen, director for the HCA East Midlands said "We are pleased to provide investment for this scheme which will help to meet the need for more affordable homes in the local community.  We know we must act now to reduce climate change whilst at the same time investing in more new homes.  This development is a step in the right direction towards finding more cost-effective ways to build zero carbon housing."

For more information contact:
Ian Dutton, HCA Communications Manager (East Midlands)
0115 852 6938   /   ian.dutton@hca.gsx.gov.uk

Notes to Editor:

The Code for Sustainable Homes is an environmental assessment method for rating and certifying the energy performance of a new home. It is a national standard for use in the design and construction of environmentally sustainable buildings. The CSH rates each house in the development by a 'star' rating system, with a house achieving a sustainability rating from one to six stars, where one star is the entry level and six stars the highest level reflecting zero carbon homes.

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is the single, national housing and regeneration delivery agency for England.
Our vision is about creating opportunity for people to live in homes they can afford, in places they want to live and for local authorities and communities to deliver the ambition they have for their own areas.