School children in York are being invited to come up with a name for a new community facility that will power hundreds of affordable new homes in the city.

The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT) officially unveiled The Energy Centre at their Derwenthorpe development on March 9.

The centre will be a hub for the community, providing homes with heating and hot water through the burning of biomass fuel, and also act as a meeting place for residents, businesses, schools and local groups.

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To celebrate the launch, JRHT are offering local schools the chance to give The Energy Centre a name of their own as part of a competition. The facility contains a classroom, kitchen and breakout facilities for use by community groups.

Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) chief executive, Pat Ritchie, cut the ribbon on the biomass boiler that will power the Derwenthorpe community to celebrate The Energy Centre’s completion.

Pat Ritchie said: "It's fantastic to see what is being achieved here by JRHT, supported in part by by our investment. I'm sure that the new name chosen by the children will reflect the wide range of uses that the local community have for this building."

The launch comes as work on housing in Phase 1 of the Derwenthorpe scheme makes good progress.

(CD)