Futuristic homes at ‘The Edge’, one of the UK’s most ambitious house building projects will cost (on average) just £1 per day to run (electricity and heating) and are being built by Gusto Homes on part of the Lincolnshire Showground near the historic city of Lincoln.
On Wednesday 19th August, councillors and officers from West Lindsey District Council visited The Edge, where Trevor Durant, Senior Building Control Surveyor at the council and Steff Wright of Gusto presented technical details about the scheme to the delegates, a day before the government announced plans to reform planning laws to make it easier for villages to build new homes to boost the rural economy. Writing in the national press, he said the lack of rural homes was a scandal.
The Edge features 18 three and four-bed homes, all looking out onto a private lake, with planning permission being sought for more. Buyers of the homes will become part of a sustainable community with joint ownership of a mature five-acre wood, two ponds and recreation land.
With an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of ‘A’ thanks to innovative energy-saving features such as integrated solar photovoltaic (PV) tiles, triple glazing and infra-red heating panels the need for a central heating system in the conventional sense has been eliminated.
Steff Wright, CEO of Gusto, said: “As part of the planning application process, Gusto Homes, which was recommended as the preferred developer by the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society and Hodgson Elkington to build the properties, agreed with West Lindsey District Council to openly share information about the homes’ performance and how The Edge community develops.”
Geoff and Carole Broster were the first buyers at The Edge and have been living there for the past couple of months. They moved from Reepham near Lincoln after ten years in an environmentally sustainable Gusto Homes property. Carole is a retired marketing consultant and Geoff is a retired potato merchant. Carole said: “We wanted to downsize our home yet maintain the energy efficiency that Gusto Homes’ properties are renowned for. The woodland environment of The Edge is a real bonus and Geoff and I are interested in how the site will evolve as a sustainable community.”
