Cumbria to build the First Green Housing Estate in the UK

Who hasn’t heard of the Lake District?! One of the most appealing elements of the Lake District is the beautiful and un-spoilt landscapes. So it stands to reason that Carlisle, the largest city in the Lakes District, should play host to the UK’s first green housing estate.

As announced recently in the Cumberland News; “42 luxury and environmentally-friendly new homes are proposed for Carlisle Racecourse in a development to be known as The Paddock”. They will be the first mass housing build to achieve level four of the government’s advisory “Code for Sustainable Homes”.

The houses will be capable of producing 60% of their own water and some of their heating from heat pumps. Triple-glazed windows, recycling bins and air source heat pumps will be provided as part of the scheme.

The additions and green improvements are estimated to save the residents of the houses as much as 80 per cent on their utility bills. The house will be built by ND Homes. ND Homes managing director Martyn Boak had this to say; “It is very rewarding to know that Cumbria and Carlisle can be seen to be leading the way in innovative and environmentally-sound home building.”

According to government targets, all new homes should be zero carbon-emitting by 2016 with a view to cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the UK by 80 per cent by 2050. Whether this goal is achievable is yet to be decided in our opinion but one thing is for sure, they are on the right track and if they are helping out the heat pump cause then we fully support them!