NINETEEN NEW FAMILY HOMES – INCLUDING TEN AFFORDABLE HOMES – HANDED OVER AT NORTHREPPS

Nineteen new ‘carbon zero’ family homes in Northrepps have been handed over, the culmination of an 18 month construction project led by Broadland Housing Association.

Michael Newey, chief executive of Broadland Housing, and Cllr Wendy Fredericks, deputy leader of North Norfolk District Council and portfolio holder for housing and people services, handed over the keys to Claire and Robert Shearing, the first two tenants to move onto the development, at a ceremony at the site, off Broadgate Close in the village.

All of the new net operational carbon homes have a range of features designed to maximise energy-efficiency and minimise the demand for energy, including an enhanced insulated timber frame, triple glazed windows, air source heat pumps, air tightness with mechanical ventilation, and heat recovery to minimise energy demand.

Photovoltaic solar panels on the homes’ roofs are predicted to generate sufficient electricity over the course of the year to off-set the estimated electricity usage for the average occupancy of each property.

They are the first net operational carbon homes the association has built.

Eight of the homes are for affordable rent and two for shared ownership; the remaining nine homes are being developed by Broadland Housing’s subsidiary Broadland St Benedicts for open market sale; the proceeds from these homes will go towards subsidising the affordable homes.

Mr Newey said, “This kind of mixed tenure development, with a blend of affordable homes and open-market homes, is increasingly the way forward, not just because it makes such schemes financially viable, but also because it encourages a better integration within the community.

“This scheme is a product of vision, creativity and resilience.  We know there is an awful lot of housing need in rural communities, and these new homes will help to fill that gap here in Northrepps.

“We also know that there is lots of housing need across the whole of Norfolk.  We know there is hidden homelessness as well as visible homelessness, and we are completely committed to playing our part in tackling that problem in an ongoing way.

“It is particularly pleasing to be welcoming our first tenants here today.  We can put up bricks and mortar, but it is the people who make the scheme work.”

Cllr Fredericks added, “It’s great to see houses being built in North Norfolk, especially affordable homes built for local people.

“This development is known as an Exception Housing Site, which means it is on land that is not usually permitted for development, unless there is a local need for affordable housing.

“We would love to see more of these built in North Norfolk.  If you have land that could support a small development like this, our housing strategy team would love to hear from you.”

The 19 new homes were designed by architects Ingelton Wood and built by Norwich-based contractor Smith of Honingham.

Case Study: New tenants Claire and Robert Shearing

First to move into the new development were supermarket workers Claire and Robert Shearing and their two children aged ten and six. 

The family had previously been living in a cramped two-bedroom home, which meant that their son and daughter were having to share a bedroom, a situation exacerbated by the fact that their ten year-old son is autistic.

“We were getting to the stage where it was becoming impossible to squeeze into our old home,” said Claire.  “Boys and girls of that age shouldn’t have to share a bedroom, and our son needs a quiet space to be calm because of his autism.

“When we saw this new home we fell in love with it straight away – we were gobsmacked about how nice it is.  It’s so quiet, it has a good-sized garden, and there is a park up the road where the kids can play and where we can walk the dog.

“The fact that it is so energy efficient means we won’t have to worry about big energy bills, and we know we can stay warm in the winter without worrying about whether we can afford to heat our home.”

Mrs Roberts, who works at Morrisons in Cromer, grew up in north Norfolk around Cromer and Overstrand.  Mr Roberts, who also works at the supermarket, grew up in Norwich, although his mum now lives in North Walsham.

“This area is our home, but it’s now so difficult to find suitable accommodation which is affordable, even though we both work,” said Claire.  “We now have a lovely family home where we can bring up our family in security.”