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Start on site for first Code Level 6 development

Work officially commences today on England’s first large-scale zero carbon development at Hanham Hall near Bristol. Start on site will be marked by the arrival of key construction workers along with portable site offices and construction equipment.

This follows completion of the formal contractual commitments and planning permissions between the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), the national housing and regeneration agency for England; and Barratt Developments PLC; and South Gloucestershire Council.

Welcoming the start on site, Robert Napier, chairman of the HCA said: “In the current economic climate, it is even more important that we take steps towards achieving a low carbon future. This milestone marks real progress for Hanham Hall, which will help people to live more sustainable lifestyles and provide homes that are attractive, affordable and extremely energy efficient.”

Mark Clare, Chief Executive of Barratt Developments PLC, said: “We are delighted to be starting work on the first zero carbon community at Hanham Hall. There is no doubt that there will need to be significant changes in the way that homes are constructed to meet higher environmental standards. This project places us at the forefront of that important agenda.”

The development will be the first created as part of the government’s Carbon Challenge initiative, which aims to help the housebuilding industry fast track a number of developments that significantly reduce the impact on the environment; provide important lessons for delivering low carbon development; and encourage people to live more sustainable lifestyles.

Recently, the innovative nature of the project was recognised with £0.8m additional funding from the government’s low carbon infrastructure initiative to provide an extension of the heat network from the onsite biomass CHP plant. This will be key to not only making the homes zero carbon but will also have the additional advantage of taking waste heat to neighbouring community buildings.

Hanham Hall is a former hospital site set in 6.6ha and features a Grade 2 Listed building.

Plans for the site include 195 homes that will conform to the highest level of the Code for Sustainable Homes and a range of shops and offices that will offer employment opportunities for the community. The homes will use energy and water efficiently, as well as minimising waste and carbon emissions.

Allotment gardens and greenhouses will be provided to encourage residents to grow their own fruit and vegetables and a farm shop will offer a range of locally sourced products. Existing hedgerows, meadows and orchards will be retained and extended, and some of the heritage buildings will be adapted for community use including a nursery and a café for residents and visitors.

Barratt Developments Plc will be responsible for the preservation and restoration of the listed hospital building and for the conservation of green spaces that surround it. Additionally a Residents’ Trust will be established to oversee the ongoing maintenance and care of the whole site.

The first homes in the development are due for completion in 2010.

Notes to Editors:


1. The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is the single, national housing and regeneration agency for England. Its vision is about creating opportunity for people to live in homes they can afford, in places they want to live and for local authorities and communities to deliver the ambition they have for their own areas. The HCA brings together English Partnerships, investment functions of the Housing Corporation, and the Academy for Sustainable Communities, with major delivery programmes of Communities and Local Government

2. Barratt Developments PLC is Britain's best-known homebuilder with a network of divisions strategically located throughout Britain. These divisions trade under the Barratt Homes, David Wilson Homes and Ward Homes brands.

3. Hanham Hall, a former hospital site, is 6.6 ha in size and located in South Gloucestershire. As part of the Government’s Carbon Challenge it will become England’s first large scale Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6 development. Barratt Developments PLC, alongside Arup, David Wilson Retirement Homes, GVA Grimley, HTA Architects, Kingspan Off-site and Sovereign Housing Group intend to preserve and restore the Grade II listed building and conserve the green spaces in and around the site.

Hanham Hall is one of 96 redundant hospital sites throughout England that the Homes and Communities Agency is bringing back into productive use. In total, these sites offer the potential to generate up to 14,000 new homes, including properties for first-time buyers. The new homes will be constructed using energy efficient materials, with very high insulation standards to conserve energy and water use in a design by HTA Architects integrating buildings in a landscaped setting that benefits both residents and local wildlife. Materials from the existing buildings on the site will be recycled in the new development and heat from air extracted from the homes will be recycled. Rainwater will be harvested for use in homes and gardens and residents will have access to allotments and orchards to grow their own produce. Hanham Hall itself, a former hospital building, will be refurbished and transformed into a community centre for the neighbourhood. The centre will include a ‘sustainable living hub’ to help people become ‘greener’; with access to a crèche, café and a base for a car club.

4. The Code for Sustainable Homes indicates a new home’s sustainability as measured against nine categories of sustainable design. These include reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions through use of new technologies; consideration of health and well being within communities and household management and steps implemented to minimise ecological impact. Other categories include water usage, materials used in construction and the environmental impact of sourcing them, making provision for surface water run off through adequate drainage systems, reduction in waste destined for landfill sites and reductions in pollution. Level 6 is achieved if a development scores a minimum of 90 out of 100 points across all nine categories defined by the Code, and includes mandatory requirements to be zero carbon and a design for water usage of 80 litres per person per day.


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