Riverside Road – the small development of 5 three-bedroom affordable family homes developed by the council and designed by Bell Phillips Architects – has been shortlisted by the Housing Design Awards.
The Housing Design Awards were launched in 1948 and is the only awards promoted by all 5 major professional institutions – RICS, RIBA, RTPI, Landscape Institute and Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologist. The Riverside Road project is one of 54 projects nationally to be nominated as finalists, and it was chosen for being highly energy efficient, green and built to an excellent standard.
In line with the council’s climate emergency commitments, the homes are designed to meet levels of BRE’s Home Quality Mark, which is an independently assessed certification scheme for new homes. It awards certificates with a simple star rating for the standard of a home’s design, construction and sustainability.
This has been achieved with high levels of insulation, PV panels on the roof which produce energy to power electrical appliances and an air source heat pump which ensures the homes are well heated and warm in the colder months. The new homes are also well connected to local schools, public transport and other key infrastructure, which encourages use of more sustainable modes of transport.
Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said: “Since the Riverside Road homes were completed in February this year, four families have already moved into the homes which are designed to have very low bills over their lifetime. The rising costs of fuel makes it more important than ever that the new homes we create now will cost very little to run. Millions of families across the UK are already in fuel poverty and can’t afford to heat their homes.
“The plot in Oxhey used to be a former garages site and working in partnership with Watford Community Housing, we are making better use of our land and delivering the modern and affordable homes our town needs. This includes providing a variety of different homes for people in Watford, including Riverside Road which are 3 bedroom houses with a garden and drive way.”
“It’s important we continue to develop schemes like this, as green homes like these point the way towards future housebuilding in our town.”
The winners of the Housing Design Awards will be announced in July and you can find out more at https://hdawards.org/.
