Developer Refutes Council Claims

The developer behind the Darwin Green development on the edge of Cambridge has refuted claims the replacement homes it is building will not meet all of the latest building standards. Last week Councillor Katie Thornburrow said that Cambridge City Council had been told by the developers that certain new standards around ventilation, conservation of fuel and power, and mitigation of overheating, would not be met.

However, a spokesperson for Barratt and David Wilson Homes Cambridgeshire has said this is not the case and that the new homes will be meeting the building regulations. They said: “Although we have planning permission to build the homes at BDW 2 to the older building regulations, we have taken the decision to build all new homes there, not currently under construction, to the new Part F, L and O building regulations.

“This investment by us will deliver multiple benefits including decreased carbon emissions and more thermally-efficient homes for our customers, helping to reduce their energy bills.” The developer is having to rebuild a number of new homes after faults were found with the foundations.

It was initially reported that 36 newly built houses were impacted by the issue and needed to be demolished. However, a council report later revealed 88 fully and partially built properties were impacted. The developer had previously said that no one had yet moved into any of the impacted properties.

Cllr Thornburrow made the now disputed comments at a city council planning and transport scrutiny committee this week. She said: “BDW have confirmed that the replacement dwellings will not be built to the new standards for ventilation, conservation of fuel and power, and mitigation of overheating, they will not be built to those standards. 3C Building Control, the council’s shared in-house building control service, are in the process of taking legal advice as to our next steps.” However, the developer has now said the new homes will meet new regulations.

Source: Cambridgeshire Live