In Birmingham, work is due to start on the city's first zero carbon homes as part of the final phase of building on the Nimmings Farm Estate, following the sale of land to West Mercia Homes Limited. The development of 48 affordable homes, which will be built by West Mercia in partnership with Lovell, will see two of the most eco-friendly affordable properties in Birmingham built as prototypes. The homes will achieve the government’s highest environmental rating for new developments, reaching Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH). The zero carbon homes will save energy thanks to features such as photovoltaic panels, rainwater harvesting systems and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems which work by recycling ‘wasted’ heat from kitchen and bathroom areas. The remaining properties will also have energy efficient, carbon saving features such as high-performance gas boilers with weather load compensators and solar thermal water heating panels. Two of these will reach CSH Level 4 and the remaining 44 will reach CSH Level 3.

Work will start on the properties this month with completion expected in June 2011 – five years before the government has pledged to see all new build homes reach level 6. The homes will be managed by Harden Housing Association, part of the West Mercia Housing Group, and the association will work closely with tenants to monitor the performance of these new homes and use this knowledge for future developments.

The development, which will be built on the 1.1 hectare site in Northfield, sold by Birmingham City Council, will include 28 homes for affordable rent and 20 homes for shared ownership on a part-rent, part-buy basis.

Nick Edge, development project manager at West Mercia Housing Group, said: “We are delighted to have reached this key stage and are keen to now start on site. This has always been an ambitious project, and it is only due to the patience of residents and our partnership with the council and the Homes and Communities Agency, that it has been possible.

“Since we started on phase one, eco standards have changed significantly and it is fantastic that we’ve been able to incorporate zero carbon houses as part of this final phase and build the best affordable eco-homes in the city five years ahead of the government target.”

Over the lifetime of the project, a total of 142 outdated council homes, in the shadow of the former Rover factory at Longbridge, will have been demolished and replaced with 172 new, high quality properties.

Lovell regional director David Gough added: “This development will help answer the need for high-quality, energy-efficient affordable homes, providing properties for rent as well as shared ownership homes which will help local people on to the housing ladder. We are delighted to be working in partnership with West Mercia Housing Group to deliver this scheme.”

The development is part funded by the Homes and Communities Agency.