New affordable, energy efficient homes underway in Bearley
Warwickshire Rural Housing Association’s (WRHA) latest development of affordable, energy-efficient homes is underway in Bearley.
Seven affordable homes, a mix of houses, bungalows and maisonettes, will be built in partnership with housebuilders, J Harper and Toolshed, to meet an identified need for homes for local people.
Homes for local people
Due to be completed in summer 2022, the homes are the realisation of a 20-year dream for the village. They will be available for social rent and only offered to people with a connection to the village, enabling local people to stay in, or return to, Bearley.
The need for these affordable homes was identified back in 2001 in the village’s first plan. The plan found that “the majority of the village would like it to develop as a family community with affordable housing to keep the younger generation in the village”.
Low environmental impact
The homes will be built using the Beattie Passivhaus system - an advanced low energy construction standard. With a simple timber framework, sandwiching high performance insulation, this system uses considerably less carbon dioxide than standard masonry construction. The windows will be triple glazed and, in combination with the insulated superstructure, make the homes completely draught free. This effectively eliminates heat loss and creates buildings with very low environmental impact.
Low running costs
Each super-insulated home will have solar panels and an air source hot water and heating system, keeping energy bills low. There’s also the added benefits of improved air quality and a very quiet indoor environment. Vehicle charging points will also be included to allow residents to charge electrical vehicles in the future.
WRHA will be building on the success of their first affordable Passivhaus development in Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire. Residents moved in to their new homes in 2018 and are reaping the benefits of significantly reduced energy bills.
Working with social enterprise Toolshed
WRHA are proud to be working with Toolshed, a social enterprise education provision, on this development. ToolShed provide training and support for students who left school with few to no qualifications and have helped over 138 young people start a career in construction. The Toolshed team will be managing the construction of the superstructures.
Councillor Arslan Erinmez, Chair of Bearley Parish Council, said:
“Bearley Parish Council is delighted that the affordable housing will soon be constructed to the latest design and ecological standards. It is exciting to see the efforts and perseverance of the Parish Council over the past decade bringing our 20 year dream to be a reality.”
David Lett, Co-founder and Operations Director at Toolshed explains how they’ll be involved: