Green homes to give families an affordable future

A development of affordable eco-homes in Horstead was officially opened after the last house was let to a local family.

The homes in All Saints Close were officially opened by Margaret Gurney, parish council chairman, on Wednesday after the last families moved in.

They have been designed and built for people with a local connection in need of housing and include environmentally-friendly features to make them economical to heat and to reduce their carbon emissions.

Construction of the buildings was part of a scheme operated by Broadland District Council and the Victory Housing Trust.

The homes were designed by architects Barefoot & Gilles, and include high levels of insulation, air source heat pumps and solar panels to minimise the energy used to keep them heated.

They are also designed to make good use of natural daylight to reduce electricity consumption.

Designers claim that each house will produce at least 44pc less CO2 than standard new British homes.

Stephanie Brighty moved into one of the houses with her new baby, Lexie, in April. She had been on the housing list since January and qualified for a place in the new development of eight homes because she had family in the area.

"I was just lucky that these went to residents first," she said. "It's really good being close to mum and nanny."

Miss Brighty had been looking further afield, but felt it was a big advantage to be able to be near her family with a small baby.

The new homes have been allocated to five families from within the parish of Horstead and three families from surrounding villages.

Councillor Roger Foulger, portfolio holder for housing and environmental service at Broadland District Council, said "This scheme was built for people with a direct local connection to Horstead. We recognise how important it is for people to be able to stay close to family and friends within their own parish."

During 2009 and 2010, the council has helped to deliver 61 new affordable homes, of which 22 were handed out with priority to people with a local connection.

This article originally appeared in the Norwich Evening News and is reproduced here by kind permission of the editor.

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