Developer gets green light for multigenerational Passivhaus housing
LOS ANGELES: A developer has finally got the green light to create low cost multi-generational Passivhaus housing.
Haringey Council’s planning sub-committee gave the go-ahead for the local authority’s own scheme to develop 272 homes in buildings ranging from four to 13 storeys in height, split across three blocks.
Half of the homes being developed on the vacant brownfield Ashley Road site will be for social rent and the remainder for market sale. Of the 136 social rent homes, 92 will have three or more bedrooms.
The council has more than 10,000 families on its housing register.
Under Levitt Bernstein’s plans, the buildings will have photovoltaic roof panels and be connected to the council’s district energy network for heating and hot water. If this connection to the energy network is not possible, the development will rely on air source heat pumps.
Other features include triple glazing and external shutters to reduce solar gain.
A report considered by the planning committee said: ‘The development would use no fossil fuel combustion and would be close to zero carbon. The fabric efficiency of the buildings would be exceptional.
‘The majority of buildings within the development, including the entirety of Block A, would be capable of achieving Passivhaus certification and the remaining buildings would have a very low demand for comfort heating of habitable spaces.’
The ‘tenure-blind’ scheme includes 174m2 of commercial area and 4,000m2 of green space in two courtyards and a residential podium.
Jo McCafferty, director at Levitt Bernstein, said the ‘ground-breaking project’ could ‘set the benchmark for self-delivered, high-quality, sustainable housing in Haringey’.
She added: ‘Carefully crafted in form, detail and material specification, it integrates a highly biodiverse, native landscape and demonstrates ultra-low levels of energy use and low embodied carbon, exceeding both the LETI and RIBA targets.’
The project is due to start on site in February.
Cllr Ruth Gordon, cabinet member for housebuilding, placemaking and development at Haringey Council, said the housing scheme was the largest in the council’s housebuilding programme to date. The authority aims to deliver 3,000 new council homes in the next decade.
Gordon said: ‘By creating more natural and formal play areas, increasing the overall number of trees and planting areas, and improving the biodiversity, we believe we are creating a place that residents will be proud of.’