Details of Council’s first Passivhaus homes for shared ownership released

Details of shared ownership homes at Duncombe Square have been released today (27 August), meaning that the 200 people who have expressed an interest in them can consider taking the next step towards buying a home.

Duncombe Square is City of York Council’s first Passivhaus development of 34 high quality, zero carbon-in-use homes, built to an award-winning design. It is part of one of the largest Passivhaus schemes in the country that includes 78 homes at Burnholme Green – 60% will be a range of affordable home types – and 101 homes set to be built at Ordnance Lane – all of which will be affordable.

Homes for social rent and shared ownership are categorised as affordable, and their building costs are partly offset by income raised from homes for sale at market rates.

To suit a range of households and their needs, 21 (60%) of the homes at Duncombe Square are for social rent and for shared ownership. Over 200 people have expressed an interest in buying a home through the scheme.

14 shared ownership homes being offered at Duncombe Square are a mix of one-bed apartments, and two and three-bedroomed houses. A share of one can be bought and rent is paid on the remaining share. To date, the Council has helped over 120 residents to buy a home through the shared ownership model.

Cllr Michael Pavlovic, Executive Member for Housing at City of York Council, said:

With the average home in York costing over 10 times average earnings, along with fast-rising rents and escalating energy costs, affordable, high-quality and energy-efficient homes have never been so needed.

Award-winning Duncombe Square is offering 21 affordable homes for eligible people. Seven of these are for social rent and will be allocated to households on our housing register whose health needs mean they will benefit from the cleaner air filtered into these Passivhaus homes.

14 of the homes are for sale by shared ownership to eligible residents who can choose to increase their share over time.

Cllr Jenny Kent, Executive Member for Environment at City of York Council, said:

To help meet net-zero carbon targets by 2030, all these homes will be zero-carbon in use. Residents will benefit from the lower costs of heating a Passivhaus home – about £300 a year – and which will be cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

Additional value at Duncombe Square comes from the beautiful setting where mature and newly planted trees will help shade homes in hot weather. The landscaped, low-car development is also designed to encourage the community to get together. Residents will be able to enjoy natural play areas and climate-resilient green spaces.

Jon Bootland, Chief Executive of the Passivhaus Trust said:

Passivhaus is all about health, comfort and low bills for occupants, which is why it is such a good fit for affordable housing. We often see heating costs of only a few hundred pounds a year for Passivhaus homes – sometimes less – and these savings can make a huge difference for people living on lower incomes. Hopefully we will see the same benefits for occupants in these fabulous York schemes!

Kate Draper from estate agent WH Brown, said:

York’s first Passivhaus homes, are of outstanding quality which gives buyers great value and an investment into the future.

We’re incredibly experienced in selling shared ownership homes and are able to make the customer’s journey very smooth and ensure every buyer is guided through the process.

The affordability of shared ownership homes at Duncombe Square is outlined below, with this example of a one-bedroomed apartment called the Bootham:

To find out more or to apply to buy one of these homes, please visit Development – Shape Homes