Sustainable homes and communities

 

We are fully committed to playing our part in reducing the impact of climate change and protecting our biodiversity.
We aim to become a net zero carbon business, delivering sustainable communities and net zero carbon homes by 2045.
 

Our Sustainability Strategy sets out a framework which we are using to deliver our ambitions to be a leading independent net zero carbon developer by 2045.

Sustainability is nothing new for Stewart Milne Homes. We’ve been at the forefront of placemaking design, energy efficiency, innovation and use of sustainable timber construction systems for decades.

We embrace innovation to deliver more sustainable, energy efficient, low carbon homes through industry research projects like AIMCH.

Enriching our communities and housing environments is at the heart of our People Shaped Places approach, using our design standards of excellence, to create award winning sustainable communities.

 

Our Homes

Timber Frame Construction
Recognising the sustainable and environmental benefits of timber, our homes have been constructed using timber frame since the very start; over 45 years ago. Since then, our timber frame technology has advanced significantly, and we now utilise timber frames that are manufactured in exacting factory conditions, ensuring high quality construction. All our timber is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Accredited, ensuring the forests producing our timber meet strict Environmental, Social and Economic Standards. 

Our ‘Fabric First’ approach
We build homes that utilise high levels of insulation, whether that be walls, floors, roofs, windows or doors. By making the fabric of our homes well insulated, we can ensure that the energy used in the home is used efficiently.

Energy Efficient Heating Systems
All our homes currently use High Efficiency (over 89% efficient) Gas Central Heating Boilers. Depending on the size of your home, it will utilise either a Combination Boiler or a System Boiler. Please speak with a sales consultant who can advise you.

In the UK, the English, Welsh and Scottish Governments are moving to phase out the use of Gas Boilers, replacing them with Electric systems. Each nation has differing timescales for the implementation of this change and rest assured that if you are buying a home with a gas boiler, the infrastructure will be in place to continue to supply you with gas for years to come.

We are currently developing All-Electric Heating solutions for our homes and look forward to rolling out this new technology as and when each nation implements the changes.

 

Photo Voltaic Panels
In many of our developments you will see Photo Voltaic panels on the roofs of our homes. These panels are there to generate electricity for use in the home, thereby reducing electricity bills. The specification of our panels can vary from development to development and plot by plot. Please speak with your sales consultant for information on Photo Voltaics on your development and specific home.

Electrical Vehicle Charging Provision
On many of our developments we provide charging points in each home that has a driveway. Terraced homes or Apartments may have different solutions, due to off-curtilage car parking. The power outputs from our Electrical Vehicle Charging Points can vary site by site, and we encourage you to speak with our Sales Consultant for details of your specific home.

Due to electrical network capacity limitations put on us (the developer), it is not always possible for us to install an EV charging point for you. This is not to say that EV charging will not be possible for your specific home, and we encourage you to speak with your Electricity Supplier with regards to having one installed after you move in.

 

Our Communities

Placemaking
Placemaking is the process of designing and making of high-quality neighbourhoods where people want to live, work and play and is the backbone of a sustainable community. Through good placemaking the bonds between residents and their relationship to the surroundings are strengthened, creating healthier and happier communities.

On each development, we:

• Create places with character:
  In all our developments we make connections between old and new. We use materials and landscape that connect our homes to older parts of a town or village. Our streets are scaled to reflect the urban, sub-urban or rural context. By doing this, our developments each have a distinct character and sense of place.
• Invest in Landscape and Open Space:
  We invest significantly in the landscape, whether through the planting of more mature plants and trees or by ensuring that we plant street trees wherever possible. We install a high-quality maintenance regime to ensure that the landscape is well cared for and enriches the environment for years to come. We also ensure that open spaces are properly located and spread through a development, so all residents have access to the open space they need.
• Create Streets to play in:
  The streets running through our developments have been designed to slow the speed of vehicles, to create safe environments for children to play. We do this through weaving roads around trees or other landscape and by creating shared surfaces for pedestrians and vehicles. This has all proven to create both more attractive streets and safer environments for our children to play.

 

Ecology and Biodiversity
At the time of designing a development, we undertake Ecology and Biodiversity studies with the aim of protecting and enhancing the environment for existing species. All our future developments will create a min. 10% net gain in the existing biodiversity, with our aim being to exceed this figure. And when people move in, we continue to work with the community on enhancing the natural environment through initiatives like Hedgehog Homes and Eco-Gardens.

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS)
All our developments utilise a SUDS system to help store and clean storage water on a site, before it is released into the wider surface water network. Often this is through the creation of landscaped basins or ponds, which further enhances the biodiversity of any development.

Innovation - Greener Energy for a new Community
Since starting in 1975, Stewart Milne Homes have continued to innovate. This ensures we remain at the forefront of many of the key challenges facing our industry. We are currently developing a project alongside our energy industry partners for one of our communities to generate its own electricity produced through Photo Voltaics on roofs and stored in a community battery, which powers homes at night. This has the benefit of reducing the off-site energy network improvement works (lowering embodied carbon), keeping green energy on site whilst lowering bills for our residents. We will post updates here in due course.

 

 

 

Our Aspirations
 

We are committed to delivering our ambition to be a net zero carbon business by 2045 –
five years ahead of the UK Government’s target for net zero carbon new build homes.

 

 

If you would like to learn more about our commitment to sustainability please visit Stewart Milne Group website.