Social enterprise plans to build 350 green homes
ASOCIAL enterprise has announced ambitious plans to build nearly 350 carbonzero homes after clinching a fiveyear deal with the company that developed them.
Creating Enterprise has signed a contract with Beattie Passive giving them exclusive rights to their pioneering Passivhaus build system in north Wales until 2025.
Around 50 new jobs will be created, and they have also pledged to use local subcontractors and suppliers wherever possible to boost the regional economy.
The concept is flexible, which means the system can also be used to make one-bedroom pods or build two-storey family homes with three, four or more bedrooms.
Plans to build more than 100 of the modular properties are either under way or in the pipeline across north Wales in Anglesey, Conwy and Denbighshire.
The venture is believed to be the first of its kind by a social enterprise in Wales.
It was made possible by partnering with Beattie Passive, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of advanced Passivhaus homes, which can save residents up to 80% on annual energy costs.
Creating Enterprise, a subsidiary of housing association Cartrefi Conwy, is planning to open new pop-up factories wherever it has a development.
The aim is to provide job and training opportunities for unemployed people in those areas. According to Adrian Johnson, the managing director of the commercial services arm of Cartrefi Conwy, the partnership ticked all the Welsh Government’s boxes.
The modular properties will create much-needed new homes and employment while helping to tackle fuel poverty and climate change.
Mr Johnson said: “Our main focus is to deliver affordable zerocarbon housing across north Wales.
“This new long-term agreement allows us to build the very best in terms of energy-efficient carbonzero homes, certified by Beattie Passive. The timber-framed homes are built from sustainable materials, using modern methods of construction.
“They will be locally manufactured using readily available materials from local suppliers and the frames are constructed in an on-site pop-up factory, lowering our carbon footprint.
“The properties are very advanced in terms of building control standards, exceeding soundproofing requirements and have in-built radon gas barriers.
“It’s up to Passive standard, which means they are going to be the most energy-efficient homes you can build in the UK.
“As a result, the average fuel cost for a three-bedroomed house will be around £100-£150 per annum as opposed to the £1,000-a-year you would spend in a conventional property of the same size.
“The plan is to create nearly 350 new homes over the next five years and we can only do that by collaborating with the other registered social landlords and local authorities in north Wales.”