The £6.9 million development at Balgove Road in Gauldry will provide 30 affordable new homes for social rent, all built to Passivhaus and Net-Zero Carbon standards.

The Passivhaus standard is internationally recognised and focuses on 5 key principles; high quality insulation, heat control and high performing windows, airtight construction, heat recovery ventilation, and thermal bridge free design. The resulting homes are highly energy-efficient and will achieve an energy rating of 102 which exceeds the ‘A’ rated Energy Performance Certificate banding.

Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, said: “This development has been hotly debated locally so I wanted to see for myself the work that has been done. I was very impressed by the quality of the build which is to Passivhaus standards. That means these homes will cost very little to keep warm which is excellent in a time of high energy costs. We are in desperate need of good quality homes at a social rent so this development will help us tackle that issue.”

Councillor Jonny Tepp said: “I was delighted to visit this development of affordable homes in Gauldry as one of the local ward councillors for Tay Bridgehead Ward. Gauldry is a special place to live and like everywhere else there is a demand for affordable homes. The development is particularly special because it is being built to very high build standards in order to achieve Passivhaus accreditation, providing quiet, healthy homes that have very low running costs.

“I have no doubt this will make a real difference to the lives of everyone allocated a home here, and I really hope that the lessons learned will make it more likely that more homes can be built to this very high standard in future.”

The development at Balgove Road in Gauldry features a diverse housing mix including family homes, cottage flats as well as amenity bungalows. Solar panels, superfast broadband, and public electric vehicle charging points will be provided and a range of community benefits will be delivered throughout the construction phase including training opportunities and job creation.

Bill Banks, Kingdom Group chief executive, said, “I am very impressed by the specification of the new homes being built in Gauldry. In 2010 Kingdom was the first housing association in the UK to achieve Passivhaus accreditation with a property for social rent and now work is well underway on our most environmentally friendly development to date.”

Bill added: “Campion Homes are delivering 30 properties all of which meet the exacting Passivhaus standard. They will also achieve the Gold Secured by Design Standard and the Building Regulations Silver with Gold Level 2 and Platinum Level 1 sustainability standards. That means Kingdom will be able to provide affordable, stylish, safe, secure and hugely energy-efficient homes for our tenants. The homes will be warmer and cost less to heat. That’s not only good for the environment, it’s good for our tenants too.”

Carolyn Lochhead, director of public affairs and communications at SFHA, said: “Housing associations and co-operatives are leading the way in constructing energy efficient homes in Scotland, and Kingdom’s Passivhaus development in Gauldry is a fantastic example of this work. It was a privilege to visit the site of these new homes, which will be a real asset to the local community.”

The total project cost is £6.9m with funding of £3.9m provided by the Scottish Government and a contribution of £74,726 provided by Scottish Water.

The project is scheduled to complete in September 2023 with properties being allocated from the Fife Housing Register.