England’s largest net-zero retirement living scheme has been completed

A leading not-for-profit housing provider has completed the biggest net-zero retirement living scheme in Doncaster.

Housing 21, a leading not-for-profit housing provider, has finished work on delivering Patent House and Patent Walk – an establishment comprised of 20 homes and England’s largest net-zero volumetric modular Retirement Living scheme.

Built offsite at M-AR’s factory in Hull, the scheme adopts Housing 21’s ‘low carbon specification’ to meet the Future Homes Standard and 2050 net-zero targets.

Supported with funding from Doncaster Council and Homes England, the scheme will enable people aged 55 and over to live independently within a community setting.

The building is comprised of 64 volumetric modules to provide a total of 20 homes. The project includes eight two-bedroom bungalows, as well as a three-storey building featuring six one-bedroom and six two-bedroom apartments – all available for social rent.

Located off Cooke Street, residents will also be able to enjoy facilities at another housing 21 scheme, Minden Court, which is situated adjacent to Patent House and Patent Walk. Minden Court has a spacious communal lounge, which was renovated in 2017 and is surrounded by extensive open-plan gardens featuring outdoor seating.

As well as having various spaces to enjoy, the new building complex is also environmentally-friendly as photovoltaic solar panels have been installed on the roof.

In addition, the scheme benefits from high insulation values – the installation of water heaters with integrated air source heat pumps and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery help maximise efficiency and reduce running costs for residents.

Electric vehicle (EV) charging points have also been provided for residents as well as additional landscaped areas and private gardens.

Tony Tench, deputy chief executive at housing 21, said: ‘This has been an incredibly exciting project for us to deliver. We had a very clear objective for developing this scheme. Not only did we want to provide an entirely affordable Retirement Living complex, but we wanted to ensure it could achieve net zero in terms of operational carbon so that we can keep energy costs as low as possible for our future residents.

‘While we look forward to welcoming our new residents, we are already looking ahead and have put in place a year-long programme to accurately monitor the energy use of these new homes. This will be reviewed alongside another traditionally built scheme, so we can capture data that will further shape net zero homes of the future.’

Image: Marc Najera