A developer has acquired land in the Gloucestershire village of Alderton, where it plans to build 28 new homes.
Housebuilder CALA Homes said it had completed a deal to purchase the land, situated about 15 miles north of Cheltenham and six miles east of Tewkesbury, after demonstrating in a planning appeal how the development could contribute towards local housing needs.
The company said it had consent to deliver the scheme at the site on Willowbank Road in Alderton, which will feature a mix of 28 two- to four-bedroom bungalows, maisonettes, and larger family homes.
A total of 11 properties will be affordable housing, comprising both rented and shared ownership tenure. Construction is due to begin in spring 2022, with sales to launch later this year.
The development will extend CALA Homes’ first phase of development site Alder Green, which it completed in 2017.
The firm, which is partnering with investment firm Greystoke Land on the scheme, said the new neighbourhood had been designed to respect the rural setting of Alderton, with “generous landscaping” enabling views to the surrounding countryside.
It added that it would contribute funds for off-site play facilities, as well as libraries and recycling – to be delivered by Tewkesbury Borough and Gloucestershire County councils.
The project will also be CALA Homes’ first in England to be wholly constructed using timber frames, a move it said would enable a carbon footprint reduction of up to 20-25% per home, compared to block-build methods.
CALA Homes said it was already using timber frames on around 40% of its house builds each year, with a goal to build homes that are operationally net-zero carbon from 2030.
The company said each of the new homes in Alderton would have an electric vehicle charging point and it was also exploring the potential for the properties to be heated using air source heat pumps.
Bernie Vent, regional land director of CALA Homes in the Midlands, said: “Gloucestershire is an area with significant demand, where we have many years of experience, and we hope to expand on our work here over coming years.
“The path to net zero is not an easy one, but with considered examination of each and every aspect of how we build, and the materials with which we do so, we’re confident we will meet our ambitious targets.”
The company said in addition to Gloucestershire it was looking for more land opportunities across the Midlands, with a particular focus on Solihull, Warwickshire and Oxfordshire.
In 2020, CALA Homes, part of the Cala Group, sold 1,835 homes, resulting in a turnover of £713m and profit before tax (before exceptional items and revaluations) of £24.4m.
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