A Housing Hartlepool new-build scheme, which boasts a host of environmentally-friendly features, has achieved a couple of firsts for the area.

A Housing Hartlepool new-build scheme, which boasts a host of environmentally-friendly features, has achieved a couple of firsts for the area.

Developer Dunelm Property Services has constructed 12 three-bedroom houses, designed with the highest standard of energy-saving measures available, at Thackeray Road, Hartlepool, following the demolition of outdated flats on part of the site.

The scheme is notable for two reasons – it is the first Housing Hartlepool project to be completed to the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 and is the first in the North-East, where Homes and Community Agency grant funding was accessed by the developer.

The Government code requires properties to be built to a much more rigorous environmentally-friendly benchmark than stipulated by Building Regulations. It takes into account how the project is managed during construction, the materials used, the impact on local ecology and the reduced low levels of energy and water usage once occupied.

The £1.4m scheme has received £495,000 of grant funding from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) following application by Dunelm Property Services.

The high-specification semi-detached homes have solar panels on the roof to help heat water, high levels of insulation, and recycling bin storage areas.

Sarah Fawcett, Housing Hartlepool’s Head of Property and Development, said: "These houses will provide much-needed family housing for rent in a popular residential part of Hartlepool.

"We have worked closely with the developer Dunelm Property Services to create homes packed with advanced energy saving features, to help keep costs down for the families who will live there, as well as helping reduce the town’s carbon footprint.

"These are the first Housing Hartlepool properties to be completed to such a high environmentally sustainable standard."

Dunelm Property Services, which is part of Esh Group, drew up and submitted the grant bid and secured the HCA funding.

Stephen Francis, Managing Director of Dunelm Property Services, said: "The Government has been keen to encourage organisations, other than registered social landlords, to access funding to provide affordable housing to further increase innovation and value for money.

"Dunelm Property Services prides itself on being at the forefront of progress in the building sector and this is reflected by the fact we are the first private developer in the North-East to have driven a bid for and become a recipient of a Homes &Communities Agency grant."

Councillor Peter Jackson, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Communities at Hartlepool Borough Council, performed the official opening ceremony.