12-unit Shropshire passive scheme gets green light

This article was originally published in issue 20 of Passive House Plus magazine. Want immediate access to all back issues and exclusive extra content? Click here to subscribe for as little as €10, or click here to receive the next issue free of charge

Commissioned by Shropshire Housing Group, the greenfield site, which lies just outside the village of Much Wenlock, is one of a number of sites in the county identified by the group for affordable housing. The development will allocate 10 socially rented properties, with the remainder to be marketed for shared ownership.

The scheme is a mix of one to three bedroom houses, all of which are designed to achieve passive house certification.

Architype said the passive house standard will offer residents a healthy and comfortable lifestyle, along with robust building performance that will keep operational costs to a minimum.

The design for the homes is the product of thorough community and client consultation by Marches Community Led Trust, the arm of Shropshire Housing Group that specialises in community consultation.

Special attention has been paid to the appearance of the properties, which sit comfortably within the local vernacular.

The timber frame homes will be clad in an arrangement of FSC approved, UK grown, thermally-modified hardwood, along with locally sourced lime render and clay tiles.

The development is due to start on site in April 2017, when local Shropshire contractors SJ Roberts will begin groundworks.