Nottinghamshire is trying to build tens of thousands of new homes by 2028 as the population soars.
Councils say around 43,700 properties need to be built across Nottingham City, Gedling, Broxtowe and Rushcliffe alone to meet the demand.
And authorities have also committed to favouring new homes which rely less on fossil fuel for power.
It’s also hoped some new developments could help regenerate tired parts of Notts and bring ugly wastelands to life.
In a series of special reports on the channel and online this week, Notts TV is digging into the foundations of our changing property market.
Building boom: How many extra homes need to be built in and around Nottingham by 2028 (Source: local authority core strategies)
Broxtowe: 6,150
Gedling: 7,250
Nottingham city: 17,150
Rushcliffe: 13,150
In the Meadows, developer Blueprint has built and sold 38 low-energy homes at the Green Street project.
Nick Ebbs, chief executive of Blueprint, said: “We started when the market was still very much in recession so it was tough.
“But we had an enormous amount of interest and off the back of that we’ve built out the various phases.”
Picture: The second phase of the Green Street project has also sold out
The homes are heavily padded to keep in heat, with some insulation 600cm thick, and have systems which gather wasted heat into a chamber for re-use to keep bills low.
And the second section of the scheme just round the corner has also sold out.
The Meadows has been through tough times, but my sense is it’s now got through those and it’s now one of the big up-and-coming areas in Nottingham.
“The Meadows has been through tough times,” added Mr Ebbs, “but my sense is it’s now got through those and it’s now one of the big up-and-coming areas in Nottingham.”
Elsewhere in Nottinghamshire some families are also trying to adapt existing houses to cut rising energy bills.
West Bridgford resident Penney Poyzer has adapted her family home to provide much of its own water, heating and even food.
The house has one of the lowest usage levels of water in the UK, using a rainwater harvesting system, which provides water to flush the toilets, wash clothes and water the garden.
And a wood-burning boiler helps Penney keep the gas bill to just £20 a year.
Picture: Penney Poyzer heats her West Bridgford home with a wood-burning boiler and grows her own food
A ‘living gate’ with herbs growing in trays is also part of the garden, which is full of fruit and veg.
“We have a wood burning boiler, and because we gather our own wood, our energy bills are absolutely minuscule, in fact our gas bill, just to irritate people, is £20 a year.”
Watch the full report on the growing green housing market in Notts on demand.
Our Notts TV News series on the changing local property industry continues from 5.30pm tonight (Tuesday, October 6) with a look at how new developments are being built in some of Nottingham’s oldest residential areas.
