City of York Council has released details of its first Passivhaus development, providing 34 zero-carbon-in-use homes.
Duncombe Square forms part of one of the largest Passivhaus schemes in the country that includes 78 homes at Burnholme Green – 60% will be a range of affordable home types – and 101 homes set to be built at Ordnance Lane – all of which will be affordable.
To suit a range of households and their needs, 21 (60%) of the homes at Duncombe Square are for social rent and for shared ownership. Over 200 people have expressed an interest in buying a home through the scheme.
14 shared ownership homes being offered at the development are a mix of one-bed apartments and two and three-bedroomed houses. To date, the Council has helped over 120 residents to buy a home through the shared ownership model.
Cllr Michael Pavlovic, executive member for housing at City of York Council, said: “With the average home in York costing over 10 times average earnings, along with fast-rising rents and escalating energy costs, affordable, high-quality and energy-efficient homes have never been so needed.”
“Award-winning Duncombe Square is offering 21 affordable homes for eligible people. Seven of these are for social rent and will be allocated to households on our housing register whose health needs mean they will benefit from the cleaner air filtered into these Passivhaus homes.”
Cllr Jenny Kent, executive member for environment at City of York Council, said: “To help meet net-zero carbon targets by 2030, all these homes will be zero-carbon in use. Residents will benefit from the lower costs of heating a Passivhaus home, about £300 a year, which will also be cooler in summer and warmer in winter.”
“Additional value at Duncombe Square comes from the beautiful setting where mature and newly planted trees will help shade homes in hot weather. The landscaped, low-car development is also designed to encourage the community to get together. Residents will be able to enjoy natural play areas and climate-resilient green spaces.”
Jon Bootland, chief executive of the Passivhaus Trust, said: “Passivhaus is all about health, comfort and low bills for occupants, which is why it is such a good fit for affordable housing. We often see heating costs of only a few hundred pounds a year for Passivhaus homes – sometimes less – and these savings can make a huge difference for people living on lower incomes. Hopefully we will see the same benefits for occupants in these fabulous York schemes!”
