Oxford City Council has started construction of 10 low-carbon council homes on a former depot site off Lanham Way.
The development will include six semi-detached two-bedroom houses and four semi-detached three-bedroom houses.
The new homes will be built in brick, with feature front gables. Front gardens with low stone boundary walls mean they will blend in with the character of the adjacent Littlemore conservation area.
The development will be called Youngs Way. Martin Young was vicar of the nearby Church of St Mary and St Nicholas from 1951 to 1964. He is buried in the churchyard and his name was proposed by Littlemore Parish Council.
Foundation and piling work is now underway. Construction is expected to take around a year to complete.
Sustainable
Youngs Way will take a ‘fabric first’ approach, with enhanced insulation and air tightness standards. Living spaces will also be oriented to maximise sunlight.
This approach maximises energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions through the way buildings are designed.
The new homes will be electrically heated, primarily by air source heat pumps – helping the Council meet its carbon reduction targets by reducing reliance on gas. Residential buildings are the biggest contributor to Oxford’s carbon footprint and account for 29% of the city’s emissions.
Air source heat pumps create three times as much heat for the same cost as standard electric heaters and these will provide heating and hot water. Rooftop solar PV panels will generate electricity for use during the day.
The development is expected to achieve an average 87% beyond government carbon reduction targets – exceeding the Council’s planning requirement of 70% beyond 2013 building regulations.
Youngs Way is being built using timber frame construction. This means creating large panels of buildings in a factory before being transported to site and assembled. Timber frame construction is faster, has a lower carbon footprint and is less disruptive to communities than traditional builds.
All homes will be fully adaptable to meet people’s changing needs throughout their lives.
There will be nine parking spaces with EV charging. These will include three Blue Badge spaces and one car club space.
Affordable
When completed, five homes will be let as council homes to people on the housing register. The remaining five homes will be sold for shared ownership by the Council’s housing company OX Place.
Oxford council tenants typically pay around 40% of the rent a private landlord would charge for the same home.
Shared ownership helps people who cannot afford to buy outright onto the housing ladder by purchasing a share in their home. This makes home ownership a reality for people like key workers, first-time buyers and under-40s who would otherwise be priced out of Oxford.
Partners
OX Place is managing the development, which is being built by Feltham Construction. The new homes were designed by Jessop and Cook Architects.
Youngs Way is being supported with funding from Homes England.
Comment
“It’s great to see construction has started on 10 new council homes in Lanham Way.
“Youngs Way will provide genuinely affordable homes for families on our waiting list and help people who would be priced out of Oxford onto the housing ladder.
“The development will also be highly energy efficient, helping us meet our carbon reduction targets and providing comfortable, cheaper to run homes for the people who will live in them.”
Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing
Image: Jessop and Cook Architects
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