Housing Associations collaborating for the benefit of customers
One of Magenta Living’s ambitions is to continue to build new, energy efficient homes for our customers with a commitment to sustainability. They’ve made a great start this year with 98 new homes completed and over 100 more expected before the end of March 2024.
As part of their development programme, the organisation is keen to collaborate and share knowledge with other housing associations. Paul McGrady, a Board member with Magenta is also Executive Director of Resources at Welsh Housing Association, ClwydAlyn. He invited a number of Magenta colleagues along on a whistlestop tour of North Wales to see the current developments.
First stop was Tŷ Nos in Wrexham – a Passivhaus development of 19, one bedroom, energy efficient, affordable apartments, with an office area for the management of the homes, to provide temporary accommodation for people in need, supporting and helping them plan for the future. Passivhaus is a building standard that aims to achieve thermal comfort with very low energy use.
Next, they went onto a completed development of 63 energy efficient homes in Ruthin which is seen as one of ClwydAlyn’s most innovative developments.
ClwydAlyn’s aim, which mirrors Magenta’s, is to tackle fuel poverty and help minimise the impact less energy efficient homes can have on people’s health and wellbeing. Built using new greener technologies and innovative designs, these new homes are super energy efficient and benefit from:
Air source heat pumps - Solar electricity panels
- Solar electricity storage batteries
- Homes positioned to maximise solar gain and natural daylight
- Electric car charging facilities
- ‘Modern Methods of Construction’, using as many natural and sustainable materials as possible
- Sourcing materials from local manufacturers and suppliers, keeping carbon footprint low.
The group then moved onto Edward Henry Street in Rhyl to see a partnership project between ClwydAlyn, Denbighshire County Council and the Welsh Government which has seen some flats demolished to make way for 13 three-bedroom affordable family homes.
Ian Thomson, Magenta Living’s Executive Director of Assets and Development, said:
“I’d like to thank Paul and all the ClwydAlyn staff and their contractors for taking the time out to show us around these impressive developments. It’s great to share ideas and see what other housing associations are achieving. It’s been a really interesting day and has given us lots of food for thought.
“Our ambitions are similar to those of ClwydAlyn as we develop our homes for the future – we want to build new homes that meet the needs of our customers and communities whilst ensuring that they are sustainable and energy efficient.”
ClwydAlyn’s Executive Director, Resources, Paul McGrady said:
“Our commitment to sustainability goes beyond the building of energy efficient homes. It’s an unwavering pledge to reduce fuel poverty and transform communities by minimising less efficient homes. Our housing developments showcase this dedication to energy efficiency and addressing fuel poverty. Everyone should join in building a greener and more sustainable future.”
Magenta is continually looking for new ways of working. For example, they are looking at different ways to build, including Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), an off-site construction process that typically provides higher levels of energy efficiency than a home built using traditional construction methods. More information on this can be found in a recent news release here.