On the 24th of April EcoHolmes held its fourth AGM with lots to report and some very interesting talks from guest speakers Professor Phil Brown, from Huddersfield University, Department of Housing & Communities, and Richard Townend of GWP Architecture.
Our Chair, Stephen Sheard shared our progress over the past 12 months, most notably with the planned development of 10 low energy affordable homes on the edge of Scholes in partnership with Connect Housing Association, but also proposals for retrofitting the empty old Parish Council office building in central Holmfirth. This was followed by a look at the scale of the decarbonisation challenge as it relates to housing and how the quality of housing affects health and well-being outcomes.
Professor Phil Brown had some startling figures to share around the impact and cost of poor quality housing and outlined the need to fix leaky homes, switch to low carbon heating systems, while avoiding harm to low income households. He advocated the need to promoteg behaviour change in policy makers as well as tenants and home owners.
Our second speaker, PassivHaus / Retrofit designer, and local resident, Richard Townend, expanded on the ‘fabric first’ approach to designing an Eco Home, and the details included within the housing designs for our Chippings project.
For AGM information and slides for both talks, click here for our Policies & Reports page.
Last year we shared our news that plans for affordable, low energy homes at an old quarry site in Scholes had been approved. We are now able to announce that we’ll be partnering with Connect Housing Association on delivering and managing these homes for the benefit of local people.
Connect have a proven track record in providing thousands of quality homes, alongside various support services to families across West Yorkshire. To find out more about our new partner, visit the link below: https://www.connecthousing.org.uk/about-us
For more details and news about our Chippings housing development, click here.
Show your support for EcoHolmes and our mission to build more affordable low-energy homes in the valley – please join us as a member.
EcoHolmes have taken an exciting major step forward in our journey to build low energy homes that local people can afford. Kirklees Planning Committee on 2nd March 2023 approved our planning application to build 10 homes on the ex-quarry site Chippings on the edge of Scholes village. The hard work of making it a reality now begins and the baton passes to our partners Connect Housing and architects GWP Architecture
With the help of a recommendation from the planners and support from councillors who recognise the pressing need for affordable places to live, this ground-breaking decision was taken 5 votes to 2. We are grateful to local councillors who have argued for the proposal and to the many people who wrote in to support the application.
It is first for Kirklees and the Holme Valley in two ways:
We are the first Community Land Trustto get to get planning consent for 100% affordable homes in Kirklees
This is the first use of the Council’s rural exceptions planning policy which allows house-building on an exceptional basis on greenbelt land if it is exclusively for local people who would otherwise be unable to afford to live where they have a proven local connection. Our case for this exception has been robustly challenged by the Kirklees planners. In the end, they accepted the evidence of our study into unmet housing needs existing in this part of the Holme Valley.
The new homes will be built to high standards of energy efficiency ensuring lower fuel bills, at reduced rents, secure tenancies and let to people with a local connection.
“We are delighted that the Council’s Planning Committee has the vision to support 10 families who can build their lives in the villages they come from where they have their family around them”, said Stephen Sheard, Chair of EcoHolmes.
With a housing waiting list of 20,000 and private rent levels rocketing, this marks a small but important step in providing extra affordable rented housing in Kirklees. We are delighted that the quality of design of the scheme was recognised, particularly the energy efficiency elements of the homes to be built on Passivhaus principles.
In a rare move the homes will be built in the Green Belt – justified under Government policy only because the homes will be only for the evidenced need of people who cannot afford to live in their local area.
Working closely with the Holme Valley Land Charity (whose land it is) and Connect Housing, a local West Yorkshire housing association, EcoHolmes have designed a small housing community using ideas gathered through consultation with local people across the Holme Valley.
Before we submit our planning application for the Chippings site in Scholes, in April, please to take part in our short on-line housing survey questionnaire of multiple choice questions click here.
We’re trying to provide homes in the Holme Valley that people can actually afford, are truly low-energy and fit for the future. The Chippings site in Chapelgate, Scholes presents an opportunity to build 10 such houses, for rent to people with a local connection (resident, family, work etc).
To get the latest news about our Chippings housing development, click here.
3D view of the proposed Chippings affordable housing development on the edge of Scholes
Low energy homes for local people at a price they can afford took a step forward this week– Partners, EcoHolmes (the Holme Valley’s own Community Land Trust) and Holme Valley Land Charity have agreed to seek planning permission to use a parcel of land at Chippings on the edge of Scholes village for 10 new homes. The homes will be for rental by local people at affordable rents and will remain permanently affordable.
Work will now begin on preparing a Planning Application to be submitted to Kirklees Council. Site investigation and design work will take place over the next few months and local residents will be consulted to help shape the Application. There will be another chance to comment when the Council considers the application.
Stephen Sheard, Chair of EcoHolmes, said “We are a local charitable trust run by volunteers which seeks to provide affordable, low-energy homes for people in housing need who live and work in the Holme Valley. We are very pleased that the Land Charity has agreed to committing this site that helps us achieve this goal, as low-energy, affordable homes are much-needed in the Holme Valley. We look forward to a successful partnership.”
Rachel Hogley, Chair of Holme Valley Land Charity (HVLC), added that “We have been considering how we can best use our disused quarry sites for real community benefit. For many years, this site in Scholes has been identified as a potential location for affordable homes for local people, who are often priced out of our area. We are delighted that in partnership with EcoHolmes, we have taken one step closer to achieving this aim by agreeing to transfer the site to EcoHolmes through a long-term leasehold. This arrangement will make sure the land is retained as an affordable housing site in perpetuity and also secure an annual rental for HVLC, which we will ring fence for spending on local projects in the surrounding area. We look forward to the project developing further this year.”
We would welcome your involvement in the next phase of consultation on this project. If you are able, please join our online discussions next month and come along to our consultation event in March. Once dates for these are confirmed they will be posted to our website and media pages. Alternatively you can email us at contact@ecoholmes.org.ukor click here to subscribe to our mailing list. Also, if you want to show your support for EcoHolmes and our mission, please click here to join us as a member for £1
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