Mid Devon District Council

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St Andrews Estate, Cullompton
Zero-carbon Housing Scheme

Mid Devon District Council

About the project

Mid Devon District Council is continuing its move towards carbon zero with the launch of a new modular housing project in Cullompton.

In partnership with ZED PODS the Council is undertaking a consultation event to showcase the proposed new homes.

From 12th July a fully furnished home, similar to those planned to be built in the Mid Devon towns, will be on show at Culm Valley Sports Centre car park.

Details of managed open dates will be released shortly where a tour of the property will be available, delivered in a Covid secure way, to the public.

The Council is currently undergoing a feasibility study and plans to build 6 units in the Cullompton site. Site locations and detailed information are available below.

The houses will be built on land currently occupied by garages and car parking and will be completed with triple glazing and solar panels, with both projects being carbon neutral making this one of the first social housing projects of this type within the UK.

Project Team

Mid Devon District Council

The Council

ZED PODS Ltd

Architects

Site Location

577.2 sqm

Approx. Site Area

The site is located on the fringe of the city centre boundary and just outside of the nearby conservation area. There are no local policies that would restrict new development from occurring on the proposed site and it does not lie within any flood risk zones. The context developments around the site are primarily residential housing.

The site sits high on the landscape near the top of St.Andrews Road making it exposed to wind but also higher levels of daylighting. South Western winds of high velocity will pass up the hill and over the site possibly requiring some shelter for amenity spaces.

Site Massing

The proposed development consists of 6 housing units designed for mutiple tenant occupations.

The scheme is designed to achieve Secured-by-Design standards and provide private amenity spaces.

The scheme comprises of 6 self-contained residential units of the following configuration:

3 x 1B1P (1-storey)

3 x 2B3P (1-storey)

Communal facilities include secure external bin store and cycle store, public and private green space

6 no. parking spaces with potential EV charging points

The scheme also shows allowance for site specific constraints and opportunities whilst respecting existing amenities.

Set-Backs and Key Distances

The Massing has been set 34.7m back from St.Andrews Road towards the nearby estate, following the same dual pitched roof orientation continuing the topology of the crescent of housing. There is at least a 15m minimum corner to corner and 23.6m façade to facade distance to nearby neighbours.

Transport Strategy

The transport strategy utilises the existing road and footpath connections proposing minimal changes. The row of garages will be replaced by off road open parking bays. Access to the units will be via an enclosed stair core and external walkway. There has also been space allocated for secure cycle parking.

Strategic Views

Given the overlooked nature of the St.Andrews Road facing gable wall a public art work will be commissioned creating a visible landmark for many nearby residents. Views into the site from the car park will be screened with hedgerow planting. All primary living spaces will have windows looking over the long views down the hill.

Accommodation Mix

The units comprise an equal mix of single storey 1 and 2 bed flats connected via an integrated staircase. Two bed units are located away from the road allowing a larger gap between the balconies and the adjacent back garden to reduce overlooking.

Read full report

Zero-carbon Scheme

ZED PODs are proposing to deliver Zero-carbon affordable housing using our established factory-built modular build system. The steel-framed modular construction system has been designed with a fabric first approach to reduce operational carbon emissions. By specifying thick insulation build-ups and providing a dedicated airtightness layer, the resultant effect is a significant reduction in heat losses through the building envelope. Robust construction details have been developed that further reduce heat losses together with thermally efficient triple glazed, aluminium clad, timber windows.

Mechanical ventilation that recovers heat from expelled air means there is a constant supply of fresh air circulating without the natural heat loss of other ventilation methods. We also specify highly energy-efficient appliances and water efficacy supporting fittings for all our units, reducing carbon whilst the properties are in use.

These reductions in energy demand are combined with on-site renewable energy generation in the form of photovoltaic panels and solar-assisted heat pumps to achieve a net zero-carbon rating in the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), achieving as designed and as-built SAP ratings exceeding 100 (A-rating).

For the proposed development in Cullompton, it is anticipated that a typical Dwelling Emission Rate (DER) will be less than -5kg/m2/yr meaning that the scheme will have an operational carbon footprint of fewer than -5 tonnes per year. These negative figures provide evidence that by the use of on-site photovoltaic panels, the scheme will offset more carbon emissions during its operation that is created as a result of its occupation. Projected over a 50 year period, this performance over that of a conventional new build home will reduce the carbon emission of the development by more than 1,500 tonnes*.

ZED PODS are also committed to reducing the embodied carbon of our manufacturing and construction and only specify materials that have a high degree of recyclability and low levels of volatile compounds to support the circular economy. We minimise the usage of concrete and other materials high in embodied energy wherever possible.

*Negative operational carbon emissions are dependant on the buildings energy efficiency and by the weight of the offset produced by Photovoltaic panels calculated in comparison to the conventional grid carbon factors (233gCO2e per kWh as of SAP 10.0). Changes in this offset weight in the future may affect the calculated value of operational carbon over longer periods.

Project Timeline — Preparing Planning Applicaiton

Project Brief approved by the Council

Undertook Feasibility Studies

Agree on Project Budget

Prepare Project Programme

Completed

Architectural Concept approved by the Council and aligned to the Project Brief

Obtain pre-application Planning Advice

Initial Cost Plan