350 new all-electric homes to be built in Longbridge
St. Modwen is planning to deliver up to 350 new all-electric homes on the former MG Rover site in Birmingham.
Electricity will be supplied through a dedicated ‘smart grid’ and will be tracked across a network of homes to ensure this first phase of homes will be 100% gas-free.
The smart grid design is being developed alongside SNRG, specialists in next generation energy infrastructure.
Sarwjit Sambhi, CEO of St. Modwen, said: “Every organisation needs to be taking steps to deliver more sustainable products and services, but at St. Modwen we have taken leaps by introducing carbon-negative homes and smart-grid powered developments.
“We’re proving that greener homes can be delivered at commercial scale, something which is not just the right thing for the environment but also allows us to meet the demand of our customers.”
Caroline Hill, the managing director for Europe and Head of Real Estate ESG at Blackstone added: “This initiative demonstrates the role innovation can play in creating the greener, more sustainable homes we need for the future.
“Supporting our portfolio companies to be innovative is at the heart of what we do, and we hope it will lead to similar pioneering practices being adopted at scale and across different sectors.”
This latest move follows the launch at the start of 2022 of St. Modwen’s first carbon-negative homes, a trial that aims to make homes so airtight that they can return power to the UK grid.
The carbon-negative homes are designed to produce more energy than they consume and could reduce a family’s total energy bills by 76% when compared with a standard new-build house.
Outline planning was secured for the Longbridge site in 2021 for a total of 350 new homes. Detailed planning for the first phase is currently with the local authority, meaning new homes are expected to be built by St. Modwen Homes from the Autumn 2022.
The site in Longbridge is boosting the local economy, with 7,500 new jobs expected over the coming years. Its received £20m worth of infrastructure investment in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority.
Work has also started to create a large veterinary hospital, creating over 100 full-time jobs.
On completion of the regeneration, St. Modwen plans to create a total of 3,000 new homes, 2 million sq ft of commercial floorspace and up to 10,000 jobs at Longbridge.
Andy Street, Mayor of West Midlands added: “Longbridge is a brilliant example that points the way to a more sustainable future for the West Midlands – fast becoming a fantastic hub from which to live, work and play as well as creating high quality job opportunities for our local residents along the way.
“I’m pleased the West Midlands Combined Authority has been able to play its part – investing over £6m at Longbridge”.
