Eco-friendly homes to be built in Herefordshire village

Developer Freeman Homes has announced plans to build an exclusive sustainable development in the "highly sought-after" village of Fownhope after permission was granted by Herefordshire Council.

The Willows project will offer ten individually designed and energy efficient two, three, and four-bedroomed homes.

Freeman Homes, which purchased the land with outline planning permission has obtained approval for a reserved matters application which, the developer says, "significantly enhances environmental considerations for the properties, going above and beyond building regulations and legislation to offering future-proofed sustainable housing".

ALSO READ:

• 'Why is half-built house still here?' Herefordshire locals demand
• 'Inconsiderate' parents parking outside Herefordshire school
• Enforcement action could be coming for Alfie Best's Herefordshire hotel

Work is due to start this month on the follow-on site to the company’s existing Cherry Hill scheme in the village.

Freeman Homes said the newbuilds will benefit from spectacular views across surrounding countryside and an enhanced landscaping scheme including ecology landscape planting and green open spaces to create wildlife corridors and buffer zones, as well as support the local environment’s biodiversity.

Hedgehog houses, bat boxes, bee bricks, and a sustainable drainage system with wetland ecology planting are also among the plans, while the homes themselves will have features including solar roof panels, air-source heat pumps, and water-saving features.

What are your thoughts?

You can send a letter to the editor to have your say by clicking here.

Letters should not exceed 250 words and local issues take precedence.

Freeman Homes' sales and operations director Hayley Coombs said the company is delighted to announce its plans that it has engaged with local stakeholders during the planning process to try and address any concerns about the new development.

“Our objective for this development was to create low maintenance, future-proof homes that are efficient to run," she said.

"Our homes are ideal for local people who need to right-size, moving out of large family homes into a more manageable yet spacious home. This in turn frees up larger, older properties for families who wish to upsize. We have proven this to be the case at our Cherry Hill development, with 85 per cent of our customers moving from within three miles of the village, and the majority choosing to right-size into what we hope will be their forever home."