HCA boost for Nottingham eco-homes

An exciting new sustainable housing development in Nottingham has started on site thanks to support from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

The Green Street scheme, being delivered by developers Blueprint, will comprise 38 high quality three and four-bedroom homes near to Victoria Gardens on the Trent Embankment, and promises to spearhead the regeneration of the outer city Meadows estate.

Built by Lovell and designed by Nottingham architects Marsh Grochowski, the homes will achieve level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) and Building for Life Gold standard.

As sustainable low-energy homes, the Green Street houses will have levels of insulation and air tightness which far exceed current building regulations. All of the homes will have ground-level court yards and large roof terraces while most will also have balconies and private car ports/garages for parking.

Funding of £1.2m has been provided by the Homes and Communities Agency to facilitate the delivery of the scheme, particularly with the costs of the enhanced design and sustainability features of the homes.

Margaret Allen, regional director for the Homes and Communities Agency East Midlands, said: “We are pleased to support this scheme, which boasts cutting edge design, achieves high quality standards and promises to kickstart the regeneration of the Meadows estate.

"It matches the wider regeneration priorities of the city council, and fits the HCA’s remit to create thriving communities that people want to, and can afford to, live in.”

The first 13 homes should be ready for occupation by autumn 2010 and the scheme should be complete by spring 2011.

Peter Conboy, development director at Blueprint, said: “Green Street combines innovative design with leading-edge sustainability features, pushing the boundaries of how a low-energy housing project can work on a commercial scale.

“At Green Street, as with all our buildings, we have employed our sustainability philosophy to first and foremost drive down the need for energy use, in this case through significantly enhanced build quality providing super high levels of insulation and air-tightness.”