Over 100 new ‘eco homes’ planned for trendy Kelham Island area of Sheffield

Citu wants to build a new community in Kelham Island with just 38 parking spaces, stating ‘cars have truly been demoted’ with a design that prioritises people.

Kelham Central will also offer ‘industry leading’, low-carbon homes, the firm says.

They will be built using Citu’s off-site, timber-framed housing system, designed to ‘the highest environmental standards’, which are manufactured at the company’s factory in Leeds.

It also says they will be heated by ‘carbon neutral renewable energy’. But it did not state which type.

Citu has spent more than seven years building ‘Little Kelham’ nearby – some 250 low-carbon houses and flats, offices, leisure sites and the refurbishment of a Grade II* listed building.

It is also front runner to build a £100m development of 700 homes on the Attercliffe Waterside site although the project is delayed.

Jonathan Wilson, development director at Citu said, “We’re delighted to be able to further invest in this iconic part of the city and to introduce Sheffield to our Yorkshire-manufactured Citu Homes that have been so popular and successful in our Leeds development, the Climate Innovation District.

“We have already seen from the success of Little Kelham that people want to lead a more sustainable lifestyle and Kelham Island has so many features that people find attractive: access to nature with the River Don running through; a relaxed café, bar and restaurant culture and unmatched industrial heritage.”

Kelham Central will include one, two, three and four bed houses. Homeowners also get a mix of courtyards and ‘semi-private’ gardens for growing food. It will also have the biggest public green space to be created in Kelham Island to date, the company claims.

Jonathan continued: “When we started out, we were constantly banging the drum about the benefits and requirement for us all to live more sustainably.

"Now, as cities like Sheffield have declared a climate emergency and we start to emerge from the pandemic, the demand for dramatically reduced carbon homes and healthier places, such as Little Kelham, is high and growing all the time. The time is now right to bring Kelham Central to life, as issues of well-being and the environment are much more acknowledged and understood.”

Construction starts this month.

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Thank you. Nancy Fielder, editor.