Housing association Gentoo and housebuilder Morris Homes to build UK's second major zero carbon housing development

A consortium led by NE housing association Gentoo and housebuilder Morris Homes has been selected to build the country鈥檚 second major zero carbon housing development.

Regeneration agency English Partnerships selected the consortium, which also includes architect Browne Smith Baker, to build the 344-home site in Peterborough, the second development under its 鈥渃arbon challenge鈥� initiative.

The pPod consortium will build the first phase of the development on the 7ha South Bank site, around Peterborough United football stadium.

All homes will be zero carbon, in advance of the 2016 target for all new homes to be zero carbon, with the scheme to be used as an exemplar. Any commercial units will also have to reach BREEAM 鈥渆xcellent鈥� standard.

The development team has been chosen for the Peterborough pPod eco-homes scheme
The development team has been chosen for the Peterborough pPod eco-homes scheme

35% of the homes will be affordable, with energy for the development provided by a biomass-powered combined heat and power system. A planning application will be made in early 2009 and pPod expects to start on site later in the year.

Steve Carr, director of policy at EP who is leading the Carbon Challenge initiative for the government, said: 鈥淭he Peterborough pPod homes not only respond to climate change, they will also be more spacious and have lower energy bills. This isn鈥檛 just about eco-living 鈥� it is about making new housing schemes a much better deal for owners and tenants.鈥�

Allan Thompson, director of operations for Gentoo Homes, said winning the tender was 鈥渇antastic news鈥� which would enable it to take the lessons to other sites.

He said: 鈥淲e have the opportunity to use the lessons learnt from the delivery of zero carbon homes to inform and drive our own forward development programme 鈥� thus taking this exciting initiative beyond Peterborough and the other Carbon Challenge sites.鈥�

Peterborough pPod eco-homes scheme
Housing association Gentoo and housebuilder Morris Homes to build UK's second major zero carbon housing development

Martin Edmunds, group strategic land director at Morris Homes, said: 鈥淭his scheme provides a very exciting opportunity to bring new types of housing to a major development, providing a model that can be transferred to future sites.鈥�

EP selected Barratt to build the first carbon challenge site at Hanham Hall near Bristol in December.

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