Work set to start on two council housing developments in South Tyneside
Work is set to begin on two sustainable council housing developments in the borough.
South Tyneside Council has confirmed that work on building 29 homes across two social housing schemes is set to get underway - with them all being available for social rent once completed.
In Reynolds Avenue, in South Shields, 17 ‘ultra energy-efficient’ houses will become the first in South Tyneside that are designed, built and certified to the international ‘Passivhaus Standard’, which aims to slash energy use and minimise carbon emissions.
The houses are designed to retain heat and maintain an almost constant temperature which requires very little additional heating or cooling.
The two, three and four-bedroomed homes, which have been designed by JDDK Architects, will be constructed in three terraces to reduce heat loss, and will all be south-facing to take advantage of solar energy.
Each one will have high levels of insultation, triple-glazed windows and excellent airtightness. A mechanical ventilation system with highly efficient heat recovery (MVHR) and air source heat pumps will also be used.
This development of two and three bedroomed apartments will be ‘A rated’ for energy consumption and will use energy efficiency measures including solar panels, thermal store and battery storage.
South Tyneside Council has also confirmed that they will all have electric vehicle charging points, parking and a back garden.
Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council, has expressed her pride in being able to build council homes that meet high environmental standards here in the borough.
Cllr Dixon said: “We are really proud not only to be building council houses in the borough, but to be building them to such a high environmental standard.
"The innovative methods used to construct these kinds of properties reduce their carbon footprint, futureproofing them and helping us to tackle fuel poverty.
“These low energy homes are good news for tenants as they are very economical to heat so they will benefit from reduced fuel bills.
“These homes are all for social rent and will help address the borough’s housing needs, and deliver on our ambition of creating strong communities where people live in sustainable, safe and connected neighbourhoods.”
Cllr Jim Foreman, Lead Member for Housing and Community Safety, has stated that the developments will help bring previously-developed land back into use by providing a service that is needed in South Tyneside.
He added: “This development will provide much-needed homes in a very popular location for social rent.
“It will also be bringing previously-developed land back into use, in line with our brownfield first policy.
“We’re proactive about delivering good quality modern homes, because housing is about much more than just bricks and mortar.”
South Tyneside Council has revealed that the schemes have received a total of almost £2.79million in grant funding from Homes England through the Affordable Homes Programme.