YORK'S largest zero-carbon housing developments will have more more 'affordable homes' once they've been built.

City of York Council has secured Homes England funding to increase affordable housing from 40 per cent to 60 per cent at its first two Passivhaus Housing Delivery Programme sites.

The council say that originally, 40 per cent affordable housing was planned for the 34 homes at Duncombe Barracks in Clifton, and the 78 homes at Burnholme in Heworth. This was over twice required by planning guidelines.

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This additional funding now means that 60 per cent - three times the recommended levels of affordable homes - can be delivered across both sites, which are part of the council’s Housing Delivery Programme.

Cllr Denise Craghill, executive member for housing and safer communities, said: “Not only does this provide much-needed additional social housing, but it offers more support for people struggling to get on the property ladder.

“The funding secured from Homes England by our Housing Delivery Programme, supports our Climate Change Action Plan as these homes will be zero-carbon in use. This also opens the door to even more people on lower incomes benefiting from the high quality and reduced energy use of Passivhaus-standard housing.”

A spokesperson from Homes England, said: “Our support for the provision of additional high-quality Passivhaus affordable housing at the Duncombe Barracks and Burnholme schemes is real evidence of the value that a partnership approach can bring.

“This investment maximises the opportunity for City of York Council to offer affordable home ownership in an area of real housing affordability pressure.”

Just weeks ago the Duncombe Barracks and Burnholme sites, were named as a winner in the Housing Design Awards 2022 - the most prestigious and highly-regarded awards for housing in the UK.

Earlier this year City of York Council appointed Caddick Construction to build the authority's first ever zero carbon homes on the two sites and 112 certified Passivhaus homes will be built as part of the council’s housing delivery programme which aims to deliver 600 homes across the city. There will be 34 homes at Duncombe Barracks  and 83 at Burnholme. Burnholme located to the east of the city centre also includes five self-build plots, ranging from 1 bedroom 2 person flats to larger 4 bedroom 7 person family houses, with public open space, community gardens.

Local residents co-designed the projects alongside the council’s Stirling prize-winning architects Mikhail Riches, with much of the construction work due to take place off-site.