Which of these is tomorrow’s community?

Any search for a sustainable community has to start with the Beddington zero-energy development in South London, better known as BedZed. Designed by architect Bill Dunster for the Peabody Trust, the development is the first carbon neutral development in the UK and still the biggest.

As you would expect for such a development, the houses look different. Full-height conservatories bring in heat and light and the brightly coloured wind cowls draw in fresh air and let old air out – a green air conditioning system.

Energy comes from a combined heat and power (CHP) plant which runs off tree cuttings and there are photovoltaic panels to provide electricity for electric cars. The development is a mix of high-density housing, offices, a health centre, community centre and nursery.

Then there’s Greenwich Millennium Village, developed by Countryside Properties and Taylor Woodrow. This was the first of the government’s seven millennium community sites to get under way and the builders have used the project to investigate prefabrication methods. The first occupants moved in six years ago and there is a primary school in the village, which looks like a little fort, although not enough children live in the village yet to fill it.

Greenwich also has CHP and uses south-facing windows to maximise heat and light from the sun. There is an EcoPark on site, and energy-saving features such as sensor-operated lights in communal spaces. Homeowners that want a parking space have to pay £15,000 and they can only have one. The car park is hidden under the housing, so the development’s above-ground streets are all footpaths.

Another attempt at a sustainable community takes a different approach. The Honingham Earth-Sheltered Social Housing scheme in Honingham, Norfolk, has been designed by Jerry Harrall of Search Architects for the Flagship Housing Group (see panel, page 20). The four properties take much of their heat and light from the sun and because of their high thermal mass, they are warmer in winter and cooler in summer than more conventional housing.

This is a very low carbon development, the underfloor heating is rarely used and it relies on very simple technologies: there are no moving parts, no mechanical ventilation and it can be built from local materials using traditional skills.

Allerton Bywater, meanwhile, between Leeds and Castleford in West Yorkshire, is a former mining site and is, like Greenwich, a millennium community administered by English Partnerships. English Partnerships has put in the infrastructure for the 24 ha site and is releasing the land carefully in parcels so as not to send land prices into freefall.

The first development is being carried out by Miller Homes. It is far from radical when viewed next to BedZed, but its simple energy efficiency and design features make it very different from anything else in the area. Barratt is due to start on another part of the site and Allerton Bywater is also home to the Summit House, a stab at a prototype sustainable house for the private sector (see below).

But do any of these four communities offer a realistic template for housebuilders and homeowners? Are they just whimsical experiments or do they offer a lasting solution to our housing needs of the future?

Lifestyle commitment

BedZed is a fantastic example of what could be done, but it seems too far from reality to offer an attainable solution for mainstream housing. It was expensive to build, so commercial viability would be an issue. And homeowners have to make a certain lifestyle commitment: remembering to open or close windows at certain times, for example.

Could Greenwich Millennium Village with its brightly coloured offsite manufactured panels be the answer for housebuilders? Some people love the architecture, others hate it. “Who would want to live there?,” asked my friend as we drove past. “It looks like a little kid designed it.” Add to this the fact that the car park is some distance away, a potential turn off for many families, and the Greenwich model is surely too risky for most housebuilders outside London?

Honingham seems appealing enough and is certainly more “natural” than the others, perhaps more what you would expect from a sustainable community. But it would be impractical where higher densities were needed, although with 16 people on a 0.25 acre spot it meets industry averages. The bungalow’s layout also seems a little limiting, just one room wide along its length.

Which leaves Allerton Bywater.

Here, cars are not banished, but they are tamed. The roads, already built, curve and narrow to limit speed. And the areas between houses will combine footpaths and roads, a concept called “home zones” which aims to make streets public areas. The layout means that vehicles can only move slowly.

There is also a sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) which collects rainwater via a basin which will fill up in the case of a storm and in the meantime is a lovely patch of flora and fauna.

There is, of course the third leg of sustainability to consider. Along with environmental and social issues comes the economic part: it’s only a successful community if people can afford to live there. This is where the London developments have the upper hand – there will always be jobs in the capital city.

More and more planners ask for EcoHomes as a condition of planning

Fiona Thomson, NHBC

Allerton Bywater has 16 small business units which English Partnerships estimates will generate 100 jobs. But most of the people who live there will be travelling (hopefully using public transport) to work, perhaps to Leeds which has a thriving financial sector. There’s also Thorpe Park, a business park which describes itself as “the heart of the new economy business district”.

The most advanced of the three developments is Miller Homes’. Miller is building 197 homes using traditional masonry construction. They’re not the standard semis found in cul-de-sacs though, there’s a whole range of housing from flats to four-bedroom houses.

Will people want to live here? Miller’s experience to date would indicate yes. Paula Fox, the firm’s sales negotiator based at the site, has sold 30 of the 44 first-phase properties off-plan. ”Initially when we came on here we were sceptical about how people would accept it,” says Fox. “But everybody was so up for it. As well as the houses they like the home zone, traffic calming, open spaces and play area. It’s the lifestyle, really.”

Fox also tells buyers that their energy bills will be 20% less than other new builds and that the washing machine, which is triple A rated, only uses 39.7 litres of water per wash and that there are three bins under the sink to make recycling easier. “They are interested in everything that makes it an EcoHome and what makes it unique and different. People are ready to take that step forward when it’s made easier for them.” The BRE’s EcoHomes standard awards points under seven categories: energy; water; pollution; materials; transport; ecology and land use; health and well-being.

Summit House developer Fleming will be hoping that this thirst for something different extends to its development which, with its render and cedar cladding, is quirkier than its brick neighbours. The crunch time will come in the autumn, says Ian Charlesworth, senior regeneration manager for English Partnerships. As the summer rush slows and Barratt gets closer to having something to sell, Miller may drop its prices. Then English Partnerships will know what the market for Allerton Bywater is really like.

Artificial prices

So is Allerton the blueprint housebuilders and homeowners are looking for? Builders would argue that it still isn’t real life because people won’t pay more for a “sustainable” home and English Partnerships adjusts the land prices accordingly. Although several housebuilders are trying sustainable design, almost all are on public land with artificially low prices.

Beyond these experiments, few mainstream housebuilders are even considering sustainable homes in their private housing, according to Fiona Thomson, EcoHomes product manager for the NHBC. They have to look at it for social housing though, which is often a requirement of planning approval, since the Housing Corporation insists that housing associations use the scheme to get funding. “That’s where we are seeing most of the volume builders partaking of EcoHomes,” says Thomson. “Although some do it off their own back for CSR needs.”

On the other hand, many people would say that developments like Allerton Bywater and Greenwich Millennium Village just don’t go far enough in the battle to reduce CO2 output. “Achieving a state of autonomy is really the starting point for a sustainable community,” says Harrall. “A settlement or community should generate all its energy requirements and manage all its waste generation.” Anything else, he suggests, is just fiddling while Rome burns.

Even if housebuilders ignore sustainable homes on a large scale, at least for now, it appears the move towards greener buildings is irreversible.

BedZed’s creator Bill Dunster has announced a pact with London mayor Ken Livingstone to build up to 1000 homes a year based on the BedZed model. Dunster plans to use Chinese suppliers so that the homes will cost no more than standard homes.

In other areas, proactive local authorities are setting their own sustainability agendas. “More and more planners ask for EcoHomes as a condition of planning,” says NHBC’s Thomson.

Elliot Carter, of PDM Consultants, in his report How to Make Money From Sustainable Housing, says there are 28 councils implementing or considering insisting on a proportion of renewable energy.

High energy prices

Rising energy prices could also work in the movement’s favour. Carter believes house buyers will soon be prepared to pay more for a sustainable home. He blames short-sighted estate agents for developers’ unwillingness to take energy efficiency seriously. “Developers rely on agents who look at what has been popular in the last two years. Within five to 10 years, energy prices will be so high that they will drive the market for energy efficient homes forward.”

The public is more aware of global warming and energy efficiency. And it’s got to be more pleasant if you can live somewhere with a feeling of community where children can play outside safely and you can walk them to school.

The more developments there are like Beddington, Greenwich, Honingham or Allerton Bywater, the more people will question their current surroundings. Ultimately, the success or failure of the sustainable communities ideal will come down to the people who live there.