Suffolk Housing Society has granted approval at its board meeting today (21 May) for work to start on 15 new affordable eco homes off Jubilee Close in Thetford this summer.

The properties to be built will include a mix of two-bedroom flats and one, two and three bedroom houses for rent, sale or shared ownership to cater for people’s different needs and circumstances.

These affordable homes will be built to the new Code for Sustainable Homes level four standard, which means that they will include extra environmental benefits to reduce noise pollution, save energy and water, as well as rainwater harvesting. They will also include a flexible living feature, to allow the one bedroom homes to be easily converted to two bedroom homes if required by the new owner/tenant.

Steve Clarke, chief executive of Suffolk Housing Society, said: “This development of eco homes in Thetford has been in the pipeline for some time, so I am extremely pleased that today the board has given the green light so that building work can start on these new homes.

“We plan to work with our partners Iceni Homes and Key Communities to try to secure government grant funding to help part fund the £2million cost of the scheme.

“Following on from our innovative hemp homes project five years ago this is the first eco-build that we have undertaken, so we are very excited at this development. We know that there is a huge need for affordable housing in Norfolk and Suffolk and are aware that in today’s climate there is an added need to help the environment and save money.

“We continuously work to help meet the increasing demand for all types of affordable housing and look forward to developing these environmentally aware homes, which include air source heating pumps, rainwater harvesting, under floor heating, with the additional feature of environmentally friendly paints used.”

Mike Goodson, managing director of Iceni Homes added: “There is a great need for affordable housing not only in Norfolk and Suffolk but across the whole country, but equally in today’s climate there is a need to be environmentally aware. These new eco-homes will not only help satisfy local housing need and help to sustain the viability of the local community, but will offer extra energy saving benefits through the green features installed.”

Building work is set to start in July, with the aim of completion in spring 2009. Following a tender process, Brooks and Wood of Ipswich were selected as builders for this development.

Suffolk Housing Society is on track to build more homes this year than ever before, with 170 new premises for people in housing need in towns and villages across East Anglia set to be built by the end of 2008. It will be the most properties Suffolk Housing Society has ever completed in any 12-month period since it was founded 34 years ago.