Joy in the Forest

Published by Anonymous for Two Rivers Housing in Housing and also in Communities

Tuesday 22nd May 2012 - 10:14am

Pictured are: Two Rivers Board Member Gill Robins, with MF Freeman team members Grant and Chris Kibble (father and son) from Mitcheldean, and Konstantins (Jim) Flegontous from Ross.

Work is well underway on building seven new low cost homes for rent and shared ownership in Joys Green in the Forest of Dean.

Two Rivers Housing tenant Board Member Gill Robins joined the lads on site on Friday to help lay the foundations for another generation of homes for local people.

It’s all part of Two Rivers’ not-for-profit £38m drive to deliver hundreds of affordable new homes for local people over the next few years.

The Joys Green scheme has seen two 1950s prefabricated energy hungry houses and ten old dilapidated garages demolished to be replaced with 7 ultra-efficient and comfortable modern homes.

They will come complete with air source heat pumps to extract energy from the air and photovoltaic panels to take energy from the sun. The houses will use the latest insulation technologies too – reducing energy loss by a stunning 50% compared to a house built just seven years ago.

The project is also seeing the complete rejuvenation of the one remaining “Cornish” style prefab – delivering massively improved energy performance and comfort.

Gill, who is an unpaid volunteer, said it was fantastic to be playing a part in building a brighter future for the local community.

“The Forest if a beautiful place to live, so house prices are high, but average wages are low. That’s a toxic mix for many local families.

“I know how hard it is for many people to find a way to afford to buy or event rent in the area. That’s why it’s vital we keep building new opportunities for local people, helping them and their families to live and work in the communities they love,” she said.

The Joys Green development will see a healthy mix of homes: two two-bedroomed bungalows, two 2 bed-roomed houses, two three-bedroomed houses and one four-bedroomed home.

Gill was also delighted to meet the site team from Ruardean based building contractor MF Freeman.

“Two Rivers, as a not for profit community organisation, tries extremely hard to deliver real value for the local economy. We manage to ensure that about 70% of our expenditure goes to local companies, using local about and local products.

“Good quality affordable homes really are at the heart of thriving healthy communities,” she said.