City of York Council’s first affordable ‘Passivhaus’ homes at Duncombe Square have been launched.
This is the first phase of one of the country’s largest Passivhaus schemes, and sales will begin of shared ownership and open market houses and apartments on Friday 12 September.
The development of 34 zero carbon-in-use homes are built to an award-winning design. It is part of one of the largest Passivhaus schemes in the country that includes 78 homes at Burnholme Green – 60% will be a range of affordable home types – and 101 homes set to be built at Ordnance Lane – all of which will be affordable.
Homes for social rent and shared ownership are categorised as affordable, and their building costs are partly offset by income raised from homes for sale at market rates.
To suit a range of households and their needs, 21 (60%) of the homes at Duncombe Square are for social rent and for shared ownership. Over 200 people have expressed an interest in buying a home through the scheme.
14 shared ownership homes being offered at Duncombe Square are a mix of 1-bedroom apartments, and 2- and 3-bedroomed houses. A share of one can be bought and rent is paid on the remaining share. To date, the council has helped over 120 residents to buy a home through the shared ownership model.
Jon Bootland, Chief Executive of the Passivhaus Trust said:
“Passivhaus is all about health, comfort and low bills for occupants, which is why it is such a good fit for affordable housing. We often see heating costs of only a few hundred pounds a year for Passivhaus homes – sometimes less – and these savings can make a huge difference for people living on lower incomes. Hopefully we will see the same benefits for occupants in these fabulous York schemes!”
