Atkins to deliver masterplan for Homes England’s Rugby scheme

VIVID secures £100m facility

Affordable homes provider VIVID is continuing to use its ESG credentials to attract investment, this time announcing a new £100m Sustainability Linked Facility from ABN AMRO. Access to this funding and facility supports VIVID’s objective to build and develop more energy-efficient, affordable homes. The facility is unsecured and has metrics linked to the organisation’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) work, helping incentivise a positive impact for the organisation’s customers and communities. The new facility was announced three months after VIVID secured the sector’s first green loan.

Golding Homes adopts Sustainability Reporting Standard

Maidstone based local housing provider, Golding Homes, has adopted the Sustainability Reporting Standard (SRS) for Social Housing, a voluntary reporting framework that takes account of the work the organisation is doing to address its impact on the environment.

David Hart, Director of Finance and Procurement at Golding says: “Adopting SRS is a natural progression for us in our desire to make Golding greener and we’re delighted to take this step forward. Last year we produced our first ever Environmental, Social and Governance Report setting out our commitment to reducing any negative impact of our work on the environment. Our new Environmental Sustainability Strategy builds on this. The SRS framework covers 48 ESG criteria and will support us to focus on affordability, carbon emissions and energy efficiency, safety, equality, diversity and inclusion and the customer voice.”

The scheme will make a significant contribution to meeting housing needs, including affordable housing, in the area, while also providing new schools, healthcare, retail provision, green areas, community spaces and infrastructure improvements for the wider community.

The engineering and design consultancy, working with supply chain partners LDA Design and Levitt Bernstein, has been appointed as masterplanner and multi-discipline designer for Homes England’s portion of the 4,000 homes that remain to be delivered as part of the South West Rugby Urban Extension.

Alongside this, sustainability and biodiversity net gain are embedded in the approach as Atkins will ensure the environment plays a key role in benefiting communities, whilst minimising the impact on nature.

Joanne Farrar, Project Director for Atkins, says: “This is a hugely significant development that will help to meet the real need for housing in this part of the West Midlands. But this is about more than simply building houses to meet the acute demand. This project and the physical and social infrastructure that it will deliver will create truly thriving places based on safe and secure homes, producing better social value outcomes. It also represents a priority development with a clear focus on creating a sustainable community where people can live, work and play for generations.”

Ben Frodsham, Senior Planning and Enabling Manager for Homes England adds: “Atkins has been providing services for Homes England for many years and has a strong track record of delivery both nationally and in the Midlands region.

“The team was able to demonstrate a joined-up and efficient approach to the scheme, bringing some trusted supply chain partners in to add additional value including LDA Design and Levitt Bernstein.

“We have great confidence they will deliver what is needed to support Homes England in the delivery of a vibrant, sustainable and successful new community in South West Rugby.”

Fuel poverty in rural Scotland

The impact of far higher levels of fuel poverty on the physical and mental health of people living in rural areas of Scotland is outlined in new research published by Changeworks.

Comparing three regions — Caithness and Sutherland, Highlands and Islands and remote rural areas — the analysis shows not only that fuel poverty affects proportionately more households in these areas compared to the rest of Scotland, but that the depth of fuel poverty is worse.

Interviewed for the report, people with lived experience of fuel poverty and frontline advisors told researchers that the far higher levels of fuel poverty have clear impacts on individuals, often resulting in poorer health and social isolation.

Commissioned by the Rural & Islands Housing Associations Forum (RIHAF), the Highlands & Islands Housing Associations Affordable Warmth group (HIHAAW) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the report sets out the drivers, impacts and extent of fuel poverty in rural Scotland.

The report also outlines clear solutions that the Scottish and UK Governments and Ofgem can take to alleviate the issue. This includes improving the identification of those with enhanced heating needs, broadening the eligibility of existing support, delivering more support on the ground through community anchor organisations and wider reforms of the energy market.

More details on the research here www.rdr.link/lak001

A copy of the full report is available to download here www.rdr.link/lak002

A copy of the solutions paper is available to download here www.rdr.link/lak003

Thermal Performance Insights with

Increasingly within the housing sector, there is recognition of the urgent need to improve the energy efficiency of our existing housing stock. In doing so, strategies for retrofitting existing buildings are of crucial importance. Equally, preserving the lifecycle of buildings is a priority, more than ever due to the rising energy costs.

The objective is securing the future of our ageing housing stock by providing warm, damp/mould-free living space. When considering the insulation of buildings, we refer to U-values, which quantify the rate of heat loss through a building element such as walls, roof, windows, and doors. The lower the U-value, the slower the heat generated by the heating system will escape, and less energy input is required to maintain a comfortable internal temperature.

Where thermal performance is poor, this has a significant impact when occupants are in fuel poverty or belong to a vulnerable social group such as the elderly. This can lead to health problems for these groups, so upgrading such homes is a priority.

With improved performance in mind, the A. Proctor Group developed Spacetherm WL, a high-performance laminate specifically intended for use where internal space is limited. Spacetherm WL is fixed to the internal surfaces of existing walls without the need for mechanical fixings. Consisting of a Spacetherm aerogel insulation blanket bonded to 3mm Magnesium Board (MgO), at just 13mm thick, there is often no need to remove skirting boards and cornices, saving time and cost. For example, a typical solid wall will have a U-value of around 2.1 W/m2K, and after installing Spacetherm WL, this can be reduced to around 0.8W/m2K, dependent on the wall structure.

This makes Spacetherm ideal for use in rooms with limited floor area, at door and window reveals, and in other areas where retaining existing features would otherwise limit the use of thick and bulky insulation. The thermal conductivity of Spacetherm, at 0.015 – 0.0195W/m2K, makes it among the best thermal insulants in use today, combined with its high vapour permeability, making it ideal for refurbishments.