News release

One of today’s most modern designed homes has gone on sale at the former colliery site of Allerton Bywater, near Leeds – one of England’s seven millennium communities.

The Summit House was first built for national regeneration agency English Partnerships to display at the Sustainable Communities Summit, held in Manchester last year. There it was used to demonstrate how a high-quality, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly home could be built using off-site construction techniques.

It was officially opened today by Housing and Planning Minister Yvette Cooper during a visit to Allerton Bywater Millennium Community.

The spacious and flexible three-storey Summit House has also been on display at the Building Research Establishment’s OFFSITE exhibition.

Following its tour and the interest shown by the house building sector The Summit House is now a real home that forms part of the Bywater Court development at Allerton Bywater Millennium Community. It is one of 520 new homes that will make up the new community where developers have provided innovative, low-energy, well-designed new housing on the site of a former coal mine.

Yvette Cooper said, “We need to build more low and zero carbon homes for the future. The new homes at Allerton Bywater show you can cut carbon emissions and people’s fuel bills, and lower the build costs too. It is also great to see well designed homes for people in the Leeds and Castleford area.”

David Hughes, English Partnerships Regional Director North East, Yorkshire & East Midlands, said, "The summit house shows that we are able to work with the private sector to deliver quality housing that is both affordable and of the highest environmental standard."

The features that have made it a showcase for the building industry include:

• A modular steel-framed building system with a single span of 6.3m – allowing rooms to be changed according to preference and family circumstances
• High levels of noise and heat insulation – leading to 20 per cent reduction in energy use
• Recycling facilities to allow a 50 per cent reduction in domestic waste
• 10 per cent increase in daylight
• 10 per cent of energy supplied from renewable sources
• 20 per cent reduction in water consumption
• 50 per cent reduction in construction waste
• 50 per cent reduction in the energy used to construct the home
• Ecohomes “excellent” rating, “Secured by Design” accreditation and “Lifetime Homes” standard
• Pedestrian-friendly street layout with high-quality street views

Fleming Developments is building the 23 homes at Bywater Court, while Miller Homes have completed the first phase of their 197 homes. Barratt Developments will build a further 151 homes under the Designed for Manufacture competition run by English Partnerships last year.

Michael Martin, Director of Fleming Developments UK – which built the Summit House, said, “We are delighted that the Minister for Housing & Planning, Yvette Cooper, has come here to Allerton Bywater.

“Bywater Court is a flagship Fleming development at the heart of which stands the Summit House – incorporating cutting edge design with the latest in eco-friendly construction methods. Bywater Court is exemplar of how good environmental design can add value to a home and a lifestyle.”

During her visit Yvette Cooper unveiled a plaque to mark completion of the The Summit House before looking around the property and other developments at Allerton Bywater Millennium Community.

English Partnerships
English Partnerships is the government’s national regeneration agency. Its aim is to deliver high quality, sustainable growth in England.

The Millennium Communities Programme was initiated in 1997 with the launch of the design competition for the Greenwich Millennium Village. A range of different types of sites have been chosen to demonstrate that energy efficient, environmentally responsible development is achievable regardless of geographic location. These are Greenwich, South London; Allerton Bywater, near Leeds; New Islington, Ancoats, East Manchester; South Lynn, King's Lynn East Anglia; East Ketley, Telford; Oakgrove, Milton Keynes and Hastings, East Sussex. One of the main objectives of the Programme is to influence the house building industry and to encourage higher standards of innovation and energy efficiency.

Allerton Bywater was home of the last colliery in Leeds, which closed in 1997. It was also the location for the old National Coal Board Regional Headquarters, which has been demolished.  The local primary school and the Miners Welfare Hall were also abandoned in recent years. Set on a former colliery site 10 kilometres east of Leeds, the 24 ha (60 acre) site at Allerton Bywater Millennium Community will provide 520 new homes along with 25,000 sq m of business and leisure space. Extensive remediation of the site is complete. Infrastructure works to provide new roads, street lighting, drainage and gas supplies were completed in late 2004.

Networkspace finished constructing 16 workspace units in spring 2005. £2m has already been invested in new community facilities, including the refurbishment of the Miners Welfare Hall and a former infants school. 30 allotments for local residents, a skate park and an enhanced bowling green have also been completed.

The Fleming Group is one of the leading developers and contractors in Ireland. With the 2005 launch of Fleming Developers UK, Fleming plans to maximise its capacity for off-site manufacture and MMC by addressing the potential market opportunities offered in the UK.