Two major projects in Mansfield to build 99 high quality, eco-friendly council homes let at an affordable rent are moving forward.

One of the schemes will see an expansion of the Poppy Fields development at Centenary Road with 77 homes for older people and families, built at a cost of £14.8m.

The other, costing £5.7m, involves demolishing a row of flats and shops in Egmanton Road on the Bellamy Road estate and replacing them with 22 family homes built round a “village green” with a play area.

Subject to planning and financial approvals, work on the schemes is expected to start later this year.

The council’s in-house Architects are designing these homes to align with government carbon reduction targets and to the Future Homes Standard, expected to be adopted nationally by 2025.

The standard requires new homes to be future-proofed with low carbon heating and high energy efficiency with an average semi-detached home producing 75% to 80% fewer carbon dioxide emissions than one built to current Building Regulations.

Coun Marion Bradshaw, portfolio holder for safer communities, housing and wellbeing, said: “These are significant schemes which we are very proud of and will deliver a variety of much needed affordable new council housing for both families and older people. In particular, one of them will help address a district-wide shortage of two-bedroom bungalows.

“These schemes align with all four of the key council strategic priorities for Growth, Wellbeing, Aspiration and Place.

“Among the themes of this strategies are targets to develop a better and wider mix of housing across the district.

“All the homes will be built to a higher specification than is currently required to future proof them for expected new housing standards and make them flexible living spaces that can adapt to tenants’ changing needs over their lifetime.

“They will not only offer an excellent quality of the life for the tenants who will live in these new homes, but deliver improvements that will benefit the wider neighbourhoods around these schemes, too.

“The construction of them will also provide work and supply chain opportunities for local people and businesses at a time when we need to support our local economy as much as possible in the midst of the terrible effects of the coronavirus pandemic.”