Oldham’s green homes take national gold
29th September 2006
Futuristic eco-homes in Oldham have been awarded the prestigious Building for Life ‘gold standard’, in national recognition of their imaginative green design.
The 18 new ‘super insulated’ family homes on Selwyn Street in Coppice feature solar panels on their ‘saw tooth’ roofs, wind turbines to generate renewable energy and large windows to maximise light. They were built using timber windows, and other ‘A’ Rated environmentally friendly materials.
The development is a key milestone in the multi-million pound Oldham Rochdale Housing Market Renewal (HMR) Pathfinder - a programme seeking to transform the housing market in Oldham, and its neighbouring borough of Rochdale.
Selwyn Street was one of only two housing schemes in the country to scoop the Building for Life gold standard. This national standard for design quality in housing and neighbourhoods is backed by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), the government and the housing industry.
The judges, who included Wayne Hemingway, praised the development’s ‘simple yet sophisticated’ design and said the scheme’s sustainable features ‘set a new standard for Pathfinders.’
The £3million project was developed by Great Places Housing Group, and jointly funded by the Oldham Rochdale HMR Pathfinder, the Housing Corporation and Oldham’s Single Regeneration Budget.
Thanks to the high levels of insulation, wind turbines and solar-heated water, annual energy bills for residents in the new homes are expected to be £400 below the UK average. Carports have been incorporated into the scheme, to take cars off the streets, and these also contain recycling and cycle storage facilities.
Alastair Graham, Director of the Oldham Rochdale HMR Pathfinder said: “The new homes on Selwyn Street demonstrate just what a Pathfinder can achieve, with the right partners, imagination and funding. We’re thrilled that the development has received national recognition.
“Selwyn Street is a flagship development for Oldham and Rochdale, and a taste of some of the hugely exciting things to come in the area. By 2009, we estimate that more than 2,700 new homes will have been built in Oldham and Rochdale, through the Pathfinder programme.
Wayne Hemingway, Building for Life Chair said: “The gold standard only goes to schemes which score well on environmental impact as well as other criteria, and Selywn Street’s sustainable features set a new standard for the Pathfinders.”
Photo: An award-winning Selwyn Street home