Developer ZeroC, in conjunction with the South West RDA (Regional Development Agency), has submitted a detailed planning application for 77 new low-carbon homes at Osprey Quay, Portland.
The homes will all be delivered on RDA-owned land prior to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sailing events at Osprey Quay and will form an impressive back drop to the Olympic sailing venue. The scheme includes 23 very high quality affordable homes for local people varying in size from one to three bedrooms.
To help ensure that the scheme leaves a legacy for Portland, the South West RDA has committed to using up to £500,000 of the land receipts for the site to secure, and to make improvements to, local facilities. These include:
- Improvements to Victoria Gardens including new seating and play facilities
- Retention and upgrading of the sports field on Officer’s Field
- The creation of a state of the art skate park to replace the existing one
- Improvements to Osprey Quay Leisure Centre
- Highways improvements around the site
The houses have been designed by the award winning contemporary architects HTA and a community consultation event, held in the autumn of 2008, highlighted overwhelming public support for the scheme. The recommendations and ideas of the visitors to the consultation have, wherever possible, been incorporated into the design of the homes.
Kim Slowe, managing director of Dorchester-based developer ZeroC, said: “As a former Royal Navy Helicopter Pilot who was based at HMS Osprey for many years I have a very strong bond to Officer’s Field and Osprey Quay. ZeroC are market leaders in delivering high quality design-led sustainable developments throughout the United Kingdom, and we believe that we are able to deliver a scheme at Osprey Quay that will leave a lasting legacy for Portland that both ourselves, and the local community, can be proud of.”
Alison Hatcher, head of regeneration for the South West RDA in Dorset, said: “These new homes and community facilities are part of the mix of uses we want to see on land we own at Osprey Quay in order to strengthen Portland’s economy and ensure it thrives long after the 2012 Games. Our role is to lead the development of a low carbon economy in the region and this project with ZeroC is an excellent example of that.”
Simon Williams, general manager for Regeneration and Sustainability at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, said: “This site has had outline permission for housing for some years as part of the overall plan for Osprey Quay. The scheme proposes an innovative approach to the development of sustainable homes and we have required 30% of the houses within the application to be affordable, with other community benefits also under discussion. The application is expected to be considered by the Council’s Planning Committee in a few months’ time.”
The homes are all being built to the standard of Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 and have been designed to emit 50% less carbon than homes that are simply built to current regulations. Technologies in the homes will include wood pellet boilers, solar water heating, solar photovoltaics for electricity generation, and rainwater harvesting systems. It is also intended that the scheme will incorporate an electric car club and many other social sustainability initiatives.
ZeroC was the winner of the prestigious What House ‘Sustainable Developer of the Year’ award in 2008 and is one of the United Kingdom’s foremost sustainable developers. ZeroC is also one of the developers on the acclaimed Price of Wales Poundbury development in Dorchester.
If planning is approved then ZeroC expects to start work on site in autumn. The scheme is expected to take two years to complete.
Addtional information
For further information on the ZeroC scheme please contact:
ZeroC:
Kim Slowe
Managing Director
ZeroC Holdings Limited
Armitage House, Victor Jackson Avenue
Poundbury
Dorchester
Dorset, DT1 3GY
01305 250427
k.slowe@zerocholdings.co.uk
South West RDA:
Jason Clark
Deborah Clark Associates
01208-77900
jason.clark@dca-pr.co.uk
Contact:
Jason Clark
Tel: 01208-77900
Related links and further reading
Notes to editors
Notes to editors
1. The attached images show how the new development would look.
2. The South West RDA bought Osprey Quay on Portland in Dorset in 2000 following the closure of the Royal Navy Air Station. The aim was to secure the economic future of Portland by having a wide range of leisure and employment uses.
3. The RDA has earmarked ca £40 million for Osprey Quay and its investment in new roads, services and flood defences, and new public access to the waterfront has already attracted significant private sector investment. The RDA also invested £3.34 million in the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, helping to lay the foundations for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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