‘A dream come true’: Tenants move into 15 new zero-carbon council homes in Plumstead

Happy tenants have moved into a development of 15 new zero-carbon council homes, part of the 1,750 Greenwich Builds homes being created for local people.

The homes in Gilbourne Road consist of 13 one, two and three-bedroom flats and two two-bedroom houses, all of which take advantage of the latest green technology to be cheaper to run and better for the environment.

One flat is wheelchair accessible, contributing to our goal of having 10% of all new council homes being wheelchair adapted.

Caroline, one of the new residents, said: “I’m very happy! We were in temporary accommodation for seven years. This like a dream come true, in fact I had to pinch myself a few times. The kitchen is amazing, I have all new fridge freezer, cooker, washing machine. I just had to move in and it’s all there!”.

The development meets zero carbon standards by using technology like air source heat pumps, solar panels and mechanical ventilation to reduce emissions and running costs for tenants.

Efficiency and sustainability were maximised during building by using offsite construction, with sections of the homes created in factories before being craned into place at Gilbourne Road.

This increased speed, consistency, and precision, reducing the time spent resolving issues onsite as well as minimising harmful emissions, wastage of materials and disruption for neighbours compared to a traditional build.

A council spokesperson said: “These 15 new council homes are a shining example of what we’re achieving with our commitment to creating 1,750 new homes to let at social rents to local people on our housing register.

“Like so many of our developments, this scheme makes efficient use of a challenging site to create much-needed housing for our residents, with the latest green technology to help us meet the goals in our Carbon Neutral Plan while reducing running costs for tenants.

“We’re incredibly proud of what we’re achieving with hundreds of new homes now complete, and wish our new tenants the very best for their lives in these fantastic properties.”

In total Royal Borough of Greenwich is creating 1,750 new council homes across the borough, with thousands more affordable homes being delivered in partnership with housing associations and private developers.

The Council is also investing £430m to improve its existing council housing, making them more efficient and accessible, with upgraded roofs, kitchens, bathrooms, lifts, CCTV, door entry systems and more.

Of the homes the Council is building, 324 are now complete with a further 919 under construction.