A partnership between OX Place and Lucy Developments means a low-carbon housing development in Marston will now be 100% affordable.
Lucy Developments is building 40 new homes at Marston Paddock, off Butts Lane. With two terraces and a block of flats built around a central green space, the development includes 26 houses and 14 flats.
New residents will benefit from private outdoor space. All houses and ground floor flats will have access to a garden or terrace, with balconies providing outdoor space for upper floor flats.
Construction in a mix of stone and dark timber boards means the development will blend in with the character of the adjacent Old Marston Conservation Area.
The new homes are due for completion in autumn 2025.
Affordable homes
In July 2022, planning permission was given to build 20 affordable homes and 20 homes intended for market sale.
Construction began in November 2023. Lucy Group then agreed to sell the site to OX Place once the foundations were completed, paving the way for the whole development to be affordable. This agreement was concluded in May and OX Place subsequently sold the land to the Council.
Now all 40 homes will be affordable, with 19 shared ownership homes and 21 council homes let at social rent for people on the housing register.
The 19 shared ownership homes will include seven two-bed and 12 three-bed houses.
The council homes will be made up of six one-bed flats, eight two-bed flats and seven four-bed houses.
Social rent levels mean the council tenants will typically pay around 40% of the rent a private landlord would charge for the same home. Shared ownership - also known as ‘part buy, part rent’ - is a flexible option for helping first time buyers, key workers and under-40s onto the housing ladder in the UK’s most unaffordable city.
Sustainable homes
Marston Paddock takes a ‘fabric first’ approach, with enhanced insulation and air tightness standards and high-performance windows. This approach maximises energy efficiency and reduces carbon emissions through the way buildings are designed.
Air source heat pumps will provide heating and hot water, helping to meet council carbon reduction targets by reducing reliance on gas. Mechanical ventilation heat recovery will reduce energy use and keep costs down by recycling heat from stale moist air as it is extracted.
Taken together, these measures mean Marston Paddock is expected to go 56% beyond national carbon reduction targets – exceeding the Council’s planning requirement for a 40% improvement on building regulations.
Solar PV panels are not included as they would affect the character of the conservation area.
Marston Paddock will promote sustainable travel with secure cycle storage and electric vehicle charging points for each of its 40 parking spaces. A new access and cycle route through the development will provide a link to the adjoining A40 cycle path.
Comment
“Marston Paddock marks the first time OX Place and Lucy Developments have worked together and it’s great seeing them deliver a state-of-the-art development of 40 badly needed affordable homes. I hope this may be the start of a very fruitful relationship.”
Councillor Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies
As Oxford City Council’s housing company it is OX Place’s mission to deliver affordable homes and our partnership with Lucy Developments is helping us do just that. Marston Paddock provides 40 high-quality sustainable homes and each will make a life-changing difference to people on the council waiting list or struggling to get on the housing ladder in Oxford.”
Helen Horne, Managing Director of OX Place
“We are delighted to partner with OX Place. It has been a long planning journey, but this is going to be a development that OX Place and Lucy Developments will be rightly proud of. The high-quality design and the excellent sustainability credentials are exactly what is needed for modern housing in the city.”
Ian Ashcroft, CEO of Lucy Real Estate
Partners
The new homes were initially designed by TSH Architects, with further development by Coleman Hicks Partnership Architects.
Marston Paddock is being supported with funding from Homes England.
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