New home for South Kirkby resident

A South Kirkby resident is looking forward to spending Christmas and the New Year in his energy-efficient new home, thanks to Chevin Housing Association and Bramall Construction.

Marc Gifford and two year old son Jack moved into their new home, part of a development of two two-bedroom apartments on Hoyland Way, at the end of November.

The state-of-the-art properties have been built by Bramall using a modular construction method, where individual units are produced in a factory before being delivered to site on a lorry and craned into place to form the structure of the building.

The pre-constructed units arrive on-site fully decorated, with heating and electrics pre-installed and kitchens, bathrooms and light fittings in place.

The roof and external brick walls are then added on-site.

Modular construction speeds up the build process, with a typical build programme being 12 weeks compared to 22 weeks when using traditional methods.

The new homes at Hoyland Way are exceptionally energy efficient, achieving Level Four of the Code for Sustainable Homes, which helps to reduce fuel bills for residents.

They are built using mainly natural materials from sustainable sources and embody 43% less carbon than those built using traditional methods.

Carpet-fitter Marc, originally from neighbouring South Elmsall, said: "I'm really pleased with my new home, the apartment is really lovely. There's plenty of room for Jack to play and it's so warm that I never really need the heating on. Hopefully, this should mean much lower bills over the winter."

The new homes in South Kirkby are located on the site of a former Coal Board builders' yard. Since the yard was demolished and cleared, the land had attracted fly-tipping and other anti-social behaviour.

Chevin and Bramall worked closely in partnership with the community to put the land to better use. Local residents were consulted and kept informed throughout the project.

Sam Sykes, Head of Asset Strategy at Chevin Housing Association said "We are delighted that Marc and his family love their new home. Chevin are working hard to make South Kirkby a great place to live where there are a range of good energy efficient homes that are affordable to run. We have improved all of our older stock and are now adding these state of the art new build properties. Over the next few years we will be making further improvements to the environment and community facilities, including creating allotment gardens for people to grow their own food. This is an exciting time to live in South Kirkby."