The prime minister has paid a visit to Cornwall’s West Carclaze Garden Village, observing the progress being made to deliver the country’s preeminent sustainable garden village project.
Once completed, the village promises to provide 1,500 homes for local people at “attainable price points”.
The Garden Village, located adjacent to the Eden Project to the north of St Austell, is the brainchild of Eco Bos – the joint-venture company between Imerys and majority shareholder Orascom Development Holding.
Boris Johnson visited the project yesterday afternoon, as Cornwall finalised preparations to welcome world leaders to the G7 summit, with climate change being a key focus.
The village is set in 500 acres of Cornish countryside, two-thirds of which is dedicated to green, community spaces.
The first homes will be ready to move into this summer, and the first phase of the project will be completed by 2024.
During the tour, the PM was shown the ongoing development’s rapid progress, which Eco Bos says will adhere to the highest sustainability standards – all in alignment with the UK government’s ‘Build Back Better’ scheme.
‘A model for Cornwall’
Commenting on the development, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “This fantastic project at West Carclaze Garden Village will not only be carbon-neutral but carbon-positive.
“It’s a model for Cornwall and the country as we build back better and greener.”
In line with the PM’s mission, the Garden Village will be net carbon-zero by 2050, and carbon-positive from then on.
The two solar farms currently on-site produce enough clean electricity equivalent to 1,136 of the highly energy efficient homes being delivered, homes which themselves save up to 94% carbon emissions.
Properties will also have an EPC-A rating, something less than 0.2% of homes in England achieve and the 210-pupil school, which is due to open in September 2022 will become the first net carbon zero school in the UK.
At least a third of homes built at West Carclaze Garden Village are set to be affordable residences in order to meet the growing demand for accessible homes in the county, incorporating self-build and custom-build housing.
Upon completion, West Carclaze Garden Village will include:
- 1,500 homes
- A nursery and primary school
- A village square and community hub
- A marketplace
- A leisure quarter
- Two solar farms
- A wetland nature reserve
- A 350-acre country park
- 12 miles of nature trails for walking and biking
- Five lakes
- Multiple parks
- Community allotments, orchards, and vegetable patches
Eco-Bos CEO Maher Maksoud said: “We are thrilled to have welcomed the prime minister to witness our progress at West Carclaze Garden Village – our new, affordable, sustainable and inclusive community in the heart of the Cornish countryside.
“West Carclaze Garden Village is setting new standards for sustainable living without compromising great design – our aim is to become the model for new, sustainable community developments across the UK.”
Dorian Beresford, chief development officer at Eco-Bos, added: “We are delighted to have shown the prime minister our vision for healthy, affordable ,and sustainable living – an issue upon which the prime minister is particularly focused as the UK positions itself as a world leader to tackle the climate emergency.
“The need for sustainable communities has never been greater, and West Carclaze Garden Village is as an exemplary model for the government’s ‘Build Back Better’ promise.”
Main image: Boris Johnson visits West Carclaze Garden Village in Cornwall ahead of the G7 Summit. Credit: Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street
Read next: Sustainability Showcase | Hastoe Housing Association
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