The economic downturn is impacting on all sectors but the housing market in the UK and overseas is one of the worst affected. But there are some very well priced properties for sale out there that have the added benefit of not costing the earth - literally - because they are sustainably built with eco-friendly features. Here’s several on the market priced from only £35,000.
Leeds
At greenhouse in Leeds £59,000 buys you a studio apartment in a renovated art deco, former workers’ hostel in what has been conceived as a carbon-negative development. Innovative technologies - ground source heat pumps, rooftop wind turbines, a rooftop solar thermal system, state-of-the-art insulation and a majestic 100metre wind turbine - are being implemented to achieve its aim to produce more energy that it uses.
Bristol
Lakeshore is a regeneration of a former factory by trendy developer Urban Splash. Set within landscaped grounds the redevelopment utilises the existing buildings, including a Grade II listed, five-storey Cor-ten steel structure, which was inspired by Mies van der Rohe. The studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments are priced from £100,000 and include technologies such as geothermal for hot water and space heating.
Middlesbrough
Or how about a pad for £94,999 at Europe’s single largest sustainable project in development, in Middlesbrough? The first residential homes are underway at the Will Alsop designed CIAC (Community in a Cube) apartment building, comprising studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments. The buildings will be highly insulated, and fitted with argon filled double glazing and energy efficient lighting. The first homes will be ready in 2010.
Brighton
One Brighton is being developed under the ten One Planet Living® principles of sustainability which include zero carbon. This is being achieved through high thermal insulation values and highly efficient glazing; an onsite biomass boiler will provide 50% of requirements; photovoltaic (PV) panels will supplement. The remaining requirements will be from offsite renewables including wind power. A studio apartment is priced at £132,000.
Spain
Gran Monovar, a 30-minute drive from Alicante, on the Costa Blanca, is a development of 828 apartments, town houses and villas where a holistic agenda is being embraced. Prices start from €110,000 (£88,000). Solar panels will heat the water for showers, which are installed with air-flow spigots to minimize water usage. Low-flush toilets will be installed, and grey water recycling, and rainwater harvesting will be practised.
Caribbean
Or how about the Caribbean? At Eden Caribe in the Dominican Republic the philosophy is to let nature and vegetation set the rules. No old trees have been cut down to prepare the site, and windfall timber is used in the main. Everything is built by hand, wherever possible, to minimise the environmental impact on the surrounding fauna and flora. A large 115 m2 one-bedroom apartment is priced €129,000 (approximately £100,000).
Belize
Lastly, in Belize, a former British protectorate in exotic Central America, prices start from only £35,000 for one-bedroom cabana at Belize Reserve. The attractive timber frame and thatched roof cabanas are powered primarily by solar and hydro - a river runs through the reserve - which means the reserve is 100 per cent energy self-sufficient from renewable power sources. The first phase of properties will be delivered in spring 2009.
