Phase two of Darlington £9m carbon zero homes underway

Phase two of work on a £9m development scheme to create the country’s first zero carbon retirement bungalows has started.

The first batch of six properties at Middleton Hall Retirement Village near Darlington have now sold out, and a further 29 houses are now due to be built.

The expansion of the village’s accommodation and facilities is creating 45 new jobs and has included creating a new Orangery with a cafe, bar and farm shop, which will sell produce from local organic farms and that grown at Middleton Hall.

Each of the dormer bungalows are fitted with wood burning stoves, triple glazed windows and thick insulation as well as solar thermal panels and electricity generated from PV (photovoltaic) panels.

The development, called the ‘Waterside,’ is set within 17 acres of beautiful woodland with a wetland area and a large duck pond designed to attract wildlife.

Jeremy Walford, managing director of Middleton Hall Retirement Village, said: “These properties are not the traditional kind of retirement bungalow which is what’s attracted so many people to them in the first place.

“Buyers have told us they love the idea that they’re buying something new and sustainable, with extra space to entertain their friends and family combined with low running costs.

“They also like the idea that they’re buying something that’s the first of its kind in the country - rather than simply downsizing to a tiny bungalow that may have seen better days.”

Middleton Hall was founded in 1900 and work began 100 years later to transform it from a nursing home to a retirement village.

The village currently provides for independent living, assisted living, residential care, and nursing care through 49 apartments, 32 bedsitting rooms and 20 specialist rooms.

It has a wide range of facilities including its own swimming pool, spa and gym – with personal trainers on hand to help residents keep fit and healthy – as well as a library, restaurant and bowling green.

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