Environment

Agar Grove is an innovative example of sustainable urban design. The project involved demolishing outdated housing and constructing 495 new homes, of which 243 are affordable homes.

Winner of the Large Projects category of the UK Passivhaus Award 2021, Agar Grove is the first phase of an ambitious council housing regeneration scheme in North London. The redevelopment tackles fuel poverty, occupant well-being and climate action pledges. It's on track to become the UK's largest residential Passivhiass development when complete.

The development was designed with occupant comfort in mind. Temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 were monitored in three example fats, and the data showed that internal temperatures rarely dropped below 21°C in winter and only rose above 26°C in peak summer months, with temperature peaks being rare. This demonstrates that informed design principles create a comfortable living environment for residents and can reduce heating bills by up to 70%. This invaluable experience is helping Hill and its partners support a Just Transition.

Fish Island Village is a joint venture with Peabody providing around 600 high-quality mixed-tenure homes for rent and sale for sale, with around 57,000 square feet of commercial space. Its aim is to nurture and grow the existing creative community by providing a flexible low-cost commercial space. Much of this will be occupied by The Trampery, a social enterprise and coworking provider for creative start-up businesses, to accommodate local artists, designers and burgeoning creative enterprises.

It includes a range of sustainable features, including combined heat and power (CHP) plant and solar panels, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, to minimise energy use and carbon emissions. Green roofs and permeate surfaces help to attenuate stormwater and the impact of flooding, each measure contributing to climate change adaptation strategies.

Pedestrian-friendly streets, excellent public transportation links and ample bicycle parking encourage residents to adopt sustainable modes of transport. A BREEAM Very Good sustainability rating recognised the scheme's innovative sustainable design and construction practices.

The Colville Road development by Cambridge Investment Partnership, a joint venture between Cambridge City Council and Hill Partnerships, consists of 63 affordable and sustainable apartments and four homes, replacing two housing blocks containing 24 homes.

Concerns that using gas as the primary non-renewable energy source had the potential to create fuel poverty for tenants, informed the pivot to a communal air source heat pump system. Along with PV panels, increased insulation and tripe-glazed windows, which reduced the need for fossil fuels and provides residents with energy-efficient living and created a carbon saving of 81%.

Additionally, the development includes electric vehicle charging points and ample bicycle storage to encourage sustainable transport options, which has resulted in a BREEAM Excellent sustainability rating. The project includes green sedum roofs and extensive soft landscaping, which helps to manage stormwater and provide urban biodiversity. Public artist Janetka Platur, in collaboration with
residents, adds to the community spit of the development.
 

Knights Park is an exemplar sustainable housing development located to the north of Cambridge and developed as part of the University of Cambridge's Eddington masterplan. The development consists of 264 apartments, townhouses and family homes, and is built to achieve Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5. Its district heating system provides low-carbon heat and hot water to all homes on the development, significantly reducing carbon emissions compared to traditional development.

In addition, Knights Park incorporates green roofs, rainwater harvesting systems and sustainable drainage systems to manage water on the site. This helps to reduce the impact of the development on the local environment and improves biodiversity, and this was recognised by the Housing Design Award, Building with Nature.

There is an excellent cycling infrastructure and well-connected public transport links to reduce car use and promote sustainable transport. Overall, Knights Park is an exemplar, multi-award-winning sustainable housing development, which offers new levels of sustainable living.
 

Chesterford Meadows consists of 76 two to five-bedroom family focussed mixed-tenure homes, set in the quintessential English village of Great Chesterford, with an established sense of community, and our vision was to protect the local character and introduce future—proofed homes. At its centre is a biodiversity-rich, landscape-ted. multi-functional community open space, which maximises neighbourly connections and opportunities for mindfulness, improved well-being and play with easy access to nature.

A new cycle route and footpath provide safe and easy access to surrounding amenities. Within a 10-minute walk, Great Chesterford station offers good transport links to Cambridge and London. To support our corporate vision to create exceptional homes and sustainable communities, this scheme was assessed against the 2 pillars within Uttlesford's Building for a Healthy Life design tool. Scoring well, it offers residents a demonstrably higher quality of Life, and the potential for their homes to offer
better asset appreciation.
 

Heartwood, an individually designed development of two, three and four-bedroom homes is a response to local needs that complements the local character and respects the local Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

Despite the existing land use being of low agricultural value, an existing pond, woodland, and hedgerow edges have merit and have been kept and enhanced with complementary ecological and biodiverse improvements. The pond forms the centre of the community as a place to meet and enjoy, and it also provides a sustainable urban drainage system. A landscape management plan will ensure the quality of place, with special attention to ponds, which are a Norfolk Biodiversity Action Plan priority. 

The village is known to have been a Roman settlement and has roots extending even further back to the Palaeolithic era. More recent Tett turrets, built during WW2, are being preserved. 

In contrast, the homes benefit from modern thermal efficiency and comfort standards, including the provision of air source heat pumps, in response to the climate emergency.