Carbon neutral retirement village planned in Berkshire

The Audley Group have submitted planning permission for the construction of a carbon neutral retirement development on Monday 12^th August 2019 as a part of a new phase of properties, adding to Audley Inglewood in Kintbury, Berkshire.

The planning application in question is in regard to the expansion of the existing village through construction of a further 21 two-bedroom, single-storey units within the village’s walled garden, adding to the already existing 91 apartments and two cottages with designs being commissioned by architect, Gaunt Francis.

Furthermore, Audley Inglewood is not connected to any gas mains, water, or drainage, with utilities managed through a variety of sustainable technologies, meeting the village’s energy demands.

The proposal of the walled garden scheme will build upon these existing technologies to become the most sustainable Audley Group development to date, featuring highly-insulated airtight units, roof-mounted photovoltaic panels, high-efficiency LED lighting, sustainable heating, and sustainable ventilation systems.

Any excess energy produced by the village will also be fed back to the National Grid with a predicted 5% net contribution carbon offset to the grid.

The Audley Group is considering modular building as well to reduce the amount of construction time that is necessary, which will also reduce fuel consumption of construction vehicles and supply chain vehicles to supply the site throughout the project.

The Managing Director of the Audley Group, Kevin Shaw stated: “It is in Audley’s DNA to innovate; the very model on which the business is built has set the standard for retirement living so it is natural that we are continuing to redefine the sector by embarking upon a carbon neutral village.

“We have always taken environmental and sustainability issues very seriously and this proposal sends a signal about the scale of our ambition in this space. It is simply not a case of being the responsible approach to construction, it is the only approach that is sustainable over the long term.”

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