London's first 'Sustainable Suburb' to help first-time buyers

Paris climate talk plans for the UK to have cut its carbon emission rate 80% by 2050 could be on track, with low carbon housing developments becoming increasingly popular.

 

The recently developed Mill Quarter in Hackbridge has met the code for sustainable homes level 4, two levels below being a zero-carbon development. The code assesses a buildings measure of sustainability against nine categories, including: Carbon Dioxide emissions, pollution levels and waste.

 

As well as being environmentally friendly, the new homes are also available under the London help-to-buy scheme which will help first time buyers get their feet firmly on the property ladder.

 

Prices start at £584,995 for a three bed property, which can be secured with just a 5% deposit.

 

The new development, which will feature a GP surgery, an assisted living care home and an on site car sharing scheme, follows in the footsteps of the suburbs resident sustainable community, BedZed. Built in 2002 by Bioregional as a pioneer in sustainable housing, the community features a similar ‘help-to-buy’ scheme.

 

Of the scheme, Bioregional writer and researcher, Nicholas Schoon said: “One quarter of our homes are for social housing and another quarter are assisted home ownership. It’s important that first time buyers are able to invest in sustainable housing because, hopefully, that is the future.”

 

Hackbridge is set to become the UK’s first ‘sustainable suburb,’ with community projects focusing on ways they can reduce their carbon footprint. Peter Alfrey, director of the green-space management company Little Oak Environmental in the town, believes:

 

“A zero-carbon community is a great thing to aspire too and one of the main determining factors is achieving things on the right scale. More support from industry and local authority in order to achieve these goals is very important.”