Charity Celebrates Handover of New Homes for Local Residents - Barnes Construction

A Cambridge charity is marking the completion of a £5 million building project to create 15 new energy-efficient almshouses for local residents.

Following an 18-month building programme, Girton Town Charity took ownership of Dovehouse Court, where all the homes have been built to stringent Passivhaus standards to achieve maximum energy efficiency. The development also includes a new office for the Charity.

The project was funded by Girton Town Charity (GTC) and a £675,000 grant from the Combined Authority, and delivered by Barnes Construction, Northmores and Mole Architects.

Being built to Passivhaus standards results in low energy costs and improved indoor air quality, all made possible by installing energy-efficient windows and doors, with stricter levels of airtightness,  mechanical ventilation and heat recovery, as well as high levels of building insulation.

Ann Bonnett, Chair of GTC said: “This is a major milestone for us and we are delighted to have now taken ownership of Dovehouse Court and after many years, seen our plans to futureproof housing in our Village come to fruition. I’d like to thank all the contractors who worked on the site for doing such a splendid job over the last 18 months as well as my fellow Trustees.

“We are also very grateful to the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority which has given us a grant of £675,000 towards the cost of creating these new homes to be appreciated by residents for many years to come.”

Matthew Ramplin, Senior Contracts Manager, Barnes Construction added: “Dovehouse Court has been a special project for us, building to Passivhaus standards to create energy-efficient almshouses that will be cost-effective to run and comfortable for residents. I’d like to thank our consultant team, our own team on-site and also GTC for giving us the opportunity to be part of its vision to expand housing provision in the Village.”