Planning has been granted for an £8m housing scheme which is laying claim to be one of the world’s first “true net zero carbon” affordable residential developments.
Cardiff-based developer Sero Homes will build the Loyn & Co-designed 35-home scheme on a scrubland site in Pontardawe, south Wales, after Neath Port Talbot council gave it the go-ahead.
Sero said the new homes – comprising 11 two-, 22 three- and two four-bedroom units – would use a mix of renewable energy technologies, including thermal and electrical storage, solar panels and ground source heat pumps.
Carbon emissions from the homes will be tracked to ensure they are carbon neutral, while residents on the Parc Hadau scheme won’t have to pay energy bills if they keep within forecast levels of usage.
The new homes will be available through long-term index-linked tenures, rather than going for sale on the open market.
James Williams, Sero Homes managing director, said: “The climate change agenda may have gathered pace in recent years and months, demonstrated by UK government net zero carbon emissions targets for 2050, but the answers to these huge challenges are needed right now.
“We hope Parc Hadau will be one of many opportunities for us to create new neighbourhoods across the UK that enable more people access to great quality, zero carbon homes at a time when they are needed most.”
The project is being backed by £2m from the Welsh government’s innovative housing programme.
Construction is expected to start in the spring of 2020 and be completed by the summer of 2021.
No comments yet