Bath & North East Somerset Council's housing company Aequus is partnering with South Gloucestershire Council to build thirty energy efficient new homes at Frenchay.

Under the agreement, which has been approved by Bath & North East Somerset Council as ADL's shareholder as well as by South Gloucestershire Council, Aequus will purchase the site at Malmains Drive to deliver 30 new family homes. Construction work will then begin this summer.

Councillor Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: "It's important that Aequus maintains a pipeline of sustainable developments to support their business plan and deliver financial returns to the council. The council, via its company has been working in partnership with South Gloucestershire Council for some time and Aequus has worked closely with them to secure planning permission for this site."

Charles Gerrish, Aequus Chair, added: "We are delighted to see our Business Case for the development at Malmains Drive approved so we can move forward with the delivery of these exemplar low energy homes in South Gloucestershire. We believe this is an excellent example of how working in partnership to meet our Shareholder objectives we can deliver tangible benefits to the councils involved."

The development, which already has planning approval, will include eleven affordable homes. Eight of these will be for social rent with three available for shared ownership. The homes will include solar panels, air source heat pumps, extra insulation, mechanical ventilation and recovery systems and a dedicated electric vehicle charging point. These measures will reduce CO2 emissions and cut energy bills by an estimated 70% in comparison to similar average properties. The development will also benefit from a central public open space, biodiverse and resilient planting and sustainable urban drainage.

South Gloucestershire Council's Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources Cllr Ben Burton said: "We are delighted that the plans for Malmains Drive are advancing, and we look forward to working with Aequus to deliver these new homes. The properties will feature a variety of energy efficient measures which support our Climate Emergency aims for South Gloucestershire and will also help lower household energy bills for their residents.

"I am also pleased to see a green space and a play area has been included in the plans, ensuring existing and new residents will continue to benefit from places to walk dogs, children to play and to generally enjoy the outdoors."

There are no direct costs or financial implications for Bath & North East Somerset Council arising from this proposal, which contributes to the business plan target of £1m income each year from Aequus set out in the council's financial plans.

Also agreed as part of this single member decision is a decision to amend the previously agreed scheme at 117 Newbridge Hill in Bath to provide seven apartments rather than six as originally decided. These properties are part of the council's new Council House Building programme and will be available for social rent later in the year.