The homes in the Ordnance Lane project in York will be built to certified Passivhaus standards and will have net zero carbon emissions in operation, with energy generated by renewables on site.
Passivhaus, dubbed the gold standard by non-profit organisation the Energy Saving Trust, refers to buildings developed to rigorous energy-efficient design standards so that they maintain an almost constant temperature and require very little extra heating or cooling.
The development will be a minimum of 40% affordable, with 20% of the homes to be let at social rent and 20% to be for shared ownership. The remaining homes will be for market sale.
The project – led by City of York Council, architecture firm Mikhail Riches, and Tibbalds Planning and Urban Design as planning consultants – forms part of the local authority’s 600-home housing delivery plan.
The plan commits to improving the health of current and future residents and promoting a low-carbon lifestyle.
The council said the site has been designed with local residents and will have good links to the surrounding area, providing pedestrian and cycle access and ensuring that the new homes are easily navigable without the need for vehicles.
The homes will range in size from one to five bedrooms.
The scheme will also include communal space for residents, an urban orchard, a natural play area, communal growing beds, and both shared and private gardens.
Denise Craghill, executive member for housing and safer neighbourhoods at City of York Council, said: “We’re starting work on the first Passivhaus homes this summer, which are designed to meet the challenges of climate change while creating beautiful, versatile living spaces set in green open space.”
Lizzie Le Mare, director at Tibbalds, said: “Not only is this a scheme which will deliver housing for a wide range of households but it will enable sociable neighbourhoods with a strong sense of community as well as providing a healthy place where people want to live.”
