Plans for eco-friendly social housing

Old homes in the Cotswolds could be demolished and replaced with 28 new eco-friendly social housing.

Cotswold District Council is working with Bromford Housing Association to demolish the homes for the new development at Stockwells cul-de-sac in Moreton-in-Marsh.

It will be the first modular build of its kind anywhere in the Cotswolds, according to the council. 

The existing homes at the site were built in the 1950s and are not energy efficient. 

After considering future maintenance requirements Bromford intends to regenerate the area by demolishing the 24 existing homes and replacing them with 28 modern, energy-efficient homes which are affordable for tenants to run. 

Subject to planning, the new housing scheme in Moreton will be completely gas-free. All homes will be fitted with air source heating and solar panels to align with the council’s drive for all affordable housing to be green to the core. 

Housing cabinet member Lisa Spivey said: “I’m thrilled that we are moving forward with this development which we hope will become a case study for other developers and social housing providers in the future. 

“This is the standard we expect of affordable housing here in the Cotswolds. Not only do we want housing to be zero carbon, we want housing to be genuinely affordable. We want to make this one of the best parts of Moreton and we’re confident these exemplar modern homes will do just that. 

“Our housing teams have worked incredibly hard to build a strong relationship with Bromford housing association and I would like to thank them for all their efforts in bringing about this fantastic scheme for the Cotswolds.” 

The council says Bromford has been working to introduce modern methods of construction to support the move towards delivering net-zero homes and help meet its climate emergency strategy. 

The Stockwells regeneration scheme represents an opportunity for Cotswold District Council and Bromford to create the first social rented, MMC net-zero homes within the District. 

With funding support from the district council, air source heat pumps will replace traditional gas boilers, reducing CO2 emissions from heating and hot water by around 80%. In addition, the introduction of a large solar PV system will reduce net carbon emissions of the development to zero. 

Bromford plans to submit a planning application for the redevelopment of Stockwells this month with the aim of starting work in Autumn 2021. 

Bromford has consulted with the residents affected by the proposals and are helping them to move into suitable alternative accommodation to enable the redevelopment of the site. 

Opposition Conservative group leader Richard Morgan said he was delighted with the proposals. 

“There are currently 24 socially rented homes on this site which are a legacy from the previous Conservative administration’s efforts to offer truly affordable housing in the Cotswolds. 

“We are delighted that these houses will remain as socially rented homes for local people, and that they are being upgraded to the latest environmental standards.”