£700,000 in government funding put towards Sudbury 'heat hub' to keep homes warm
It's part of the Chilton Woods Development - an onging project to build 1,150 new homes
The Sudbury ‘heat hub’ has received more than £700,000 in Government funding ahead of Chilton Woods’ third phase.
The heat pump housing estate will be located to the north east of the Chilton Woods Development — a 1,150-house ongoing development in Sudbury — and provide nearly 1,000 of those homes, alongside a primary school, with low carbon heating.
The hub’s funding, which hails from the Government’s Green Heat Network Fund, comes after initial planning approval for the project was given in December.
The project will also include a thermal store, giving it the ability to feed any extra energy to the National Grid.
It is expected the energy produced by the hub will offer a 68 per cent carbon saving over three years, increasing to over 80 per cent after 2025, in comparison to gas boilers.
Cllr John Ward, the council’s acting leader, said the project ‘is an excellent model’ for how developers can reduce emissions from home building.
He added: “Chilton Woods is already a hugely significant development for our district, not just because of the much-needed housing, but also the future employment, facilities, and infrastructure it will provide for Sudbury and Babergh.
“Hopefully, this paves the way for other development to use this heating solution in future, helping Babergh contribute to Suffolk’s goal of being carbon neutral by 2030.”
The housing development is currently approaching its third phase as the company, Taylor Wimpey, is gearing up to submit a reserved matters application for 149 new homes.
This will give councillors the chance to consider aspects of the developments such as access, appearance, landscaping, layout, and scale.