aerial view of the proposed site for the eco-village at Hanham Hall

Housing and Planning Minister Yvette Cooper announced on Friday, 14 December that Barratt Developments PLC has been selected to construct England’s first eco-village at Hanham Hall, near Bristol. Homes on the site will meet the Government’s most exacting eco standard - Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Barratt has been selected by English Partnerships, the Government’s national regeneration agency. Hanham Hall was the first site identified under the Carbon Challenge, being run by English Partnerships as part of the Government’s commitment to tackle climate change. The Challenge will deliver zero-carbon homes and communities in advance of it becoming mandatory by 2016.

As well as building 200 zero-carbon homes, of which at least a third will be affordable, on a 6.6 hectare former hospital site, the groundbreaking project will also create eco lifestyles. It will hand over a listed building to community use, capture rainwater and include sustainable drainage, farmers’ shops, a car club and bicycle storage. An onsite biomass CHP plant will deliver energy to all homes.

Yvette Cooper said: “We have set a world-beating target that all new homes must be zero carbon by 2016. People said this couldn’t be done, but, in fact, this first Carbon Challenge site shows that developers are already preparing to build the first major development of zero carbon homes.

“We want to build more homes but also to higher standards. We’ve set up plans for ten eco-towns. These Carbon Challenge eco-villages are now leading the way, showing what can be done. This marks a revolution in the way we design and build homes.”

Steve Carr, English Partnerships’ Director of Policy and Economics, said: “The winning bid isn’t just environmentally sound – it brings people into the equation to create a truly sustainable community.

“We are meeting a dual goal – tackling climate change whilst improving housing quality. I am delighted that so many developers rose to the challenge. The winning bid by Barratt tipped the balance because they thought about eco-living not just eco-buildings.”

Mark Clare, Chief Executive, Barratt Developments PLC said: “Barratt fully supports the zero-carbon objective and we want to make as big a contribution as we can as quickly as we can. We are delighted to be asked to deliver this groundbreaking project, which will be the first large-scale zero-carbon community in the country. It will enable a family occupying one of these homes to reduce their entire carbon footprint by 60 per cent.”

The minister also unveiled the six shortlisted bidders for the second Carbon Challenge site – South Bank Phase 1, in Peterborough; and two new sites in the North of England. South Bank Phase 1 in Peterborough is seven hectares in total and is expected to support 450 homes.

The shortlisted developers for South Bank Phase 1 are:

  • One Peterborough (a consortium of Crest Nicholson and Bioregional Quintain)
  • Gladedale Group
  • Carbon Challenge Consortium (Galliford Try and Cross Key Homes)
  • Barratt Homes Ltd
  • P Pod (Morris Homes and Gentoo)
  • Gleeson Homes and Stewart Milne Group

The shortlisted developers will now be invited to submit a more detailed response to achieve Level 6 of the Code, by achieving zero carbon, incorporating features to reduce water usage and energy consumption, minimising waste, and increasing biodiversity. A decision on the final preferred developer at South Bank Phase 1 is expected early next year.

The two new Carbon Challenge sites announced are both in former coalfield communities, devastated by pit closures in the 1980s – Brodsworth Colliery in Doncaster and Bickershaw Colliery in Wigan. Expressions of interest in both sites will be invited via OJEU in January 2008.

NOTES: The Carbon Challenge is run by English Partnerships on behalf of Communities and Local Government to accelerate the house-building industry’s response to climate change by fast-tracking the creation of several zero carbon housing developments. It will deliver a number of homes in different locations that meet Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6 in a high-quality, sustainable setting.

The key aspirations of the Challenge are to:

  • raise environmental standards – development will achieve Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes – zero carbon, minimal water use (80 litres per person a day), building materials from sustainable sources, diverse ecology);
  • deliver high-quality design combined with exceptional environmental performance – homes that keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer;
  • drive down construction and supply chain costs through economies of scale – while aiming to approach zero carbon;
  • incorporate lifestyle features that cut emissions within the community through good designs that encourage behavioural changes in the use of electrical appliances such as televisions and computers, and include changes in transport, waste collection and food delivery; and
  • ensure that affordable and low cost homes are included, especially for families.

Working alongside the preferred developer for Hanham Hall are HTA architects, ARUP, Kingspan Off-Site and Sovereign Housing Group. The Barratt team includes Kingspan building systems suppliers and ARUP, the team behind the prototype Code Level 6 home at BRE’s Innovation Park in Watford. Some of the team bring lessons from the pioneering BedZED low energy housing development in West London. Barratt proposed a Combined Heat and Power plant on site to both heat and provide electricity to homes, rejecting micro renewable energy solutions such as roof mounted wind turbines and solar panels.