London's newest environmentally friendly housing scheme has earned praise from mayor of London Boris Johnson at its official opening.

The Greenway on Staines Road in Hounslow is a 18 home scheme built by Willmott Dixon for Catalyst Housing to the highest environmental standards with the latest insulation materials, underfloor heating and a biomass boiler. Mr Johnson said it was a "fantastic project," with, "precisely the qualities I want to see in housing developments right across the capital."

The development is one of the first in London to meet the mayor's Housing Design Guidelines which make developments more spacious and of higher quality. The guidelines specify minimum living space and width of corridors in new developments and mean every home has a space to store a bicycle.

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Based on official measurements, it is estimated that residents could see their energy bills cut by half. Other features of The Greenway include:

• A rain water recycling system that could reduce water consumption to 80 litres per day – around half the current national average water consumption of 150 litres

• Allotments and a mini orchard for residents to help them live a greener lifestyle in their new home

• Active heating control which uses rain water collected in an underground tank to cool the building when it gets too hot

In the first two years after residents move into The Greenway, Willmott Dixon will monitor the homes for energy consumption and heat loss in order to see how the features work with people living there. The data will be compiled into a report and shared across the housing sector to inform future eco-friendly building work.

Mr Johnson, said: "This is a fantastic project which combines the highest environmental standards with truly innovative design. With decent sized, energy efficient homes, The Greenway boasts precisely the qualities I want to see in housing developments right across the capital."

(CD/GK)