A development of four affordable 'straw bale' Hastoe homes in High Ongar, Essex, has been officially opened by Eric Pickles MP.

This is the first development of straw bale housing built in Britain by a housing association.

Two two-bedroom and two three-bedroom houses have been developed by Hastoe Housing Association at Millfield in partnership with Epping Forest District Council, on former Council-owned land. The houses have been let at affordable rents to families on the Council's housing register. Hastoe has filmed the build process and will release time-lapse footage and interviews with the key people involved to share knowledge within the industry.

The land was transferred to Hastoe at a discounted price, and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) contributed a grant of £92,000. The properties were designed by architects, Parsons + Whittley, and constructed by DCH, a local contractor based in Coggeshall. The straw bales used were a sustainable by-product of farming and the bales were sourced from a local farm - Williams Brothers.

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There are a number of benefits of using straw bales within housing. Whilst the costs of construction are similar to costs of conventional construction, houses built using straw bales need almost no conventional heating due to their exceptionally high insulating properties. The residents will benefit from fuel costs around 85% cheaper than the average costs for heating similar homes of traditional construction.

Structural parts of the houses, such as the walls, have been built using timber frames, in-filled with the straw bales. The walls have been covered externally, with a lime render. The character of straw bales houses suits the rural location of the site at Millfield, overlooking farmers' fields. With clay tile roofs, the houses incorporate mainly natural materials and have a slightly rustic quality, although overall they have the appearance of conventional homes. The timber porches are roofed with sedum plants.

Since the straw absorbs carbon dioxide as it is growing, it is widely accepted that buildings of this type of construction have a low, zero or even negative carbon footprint. When complete, the high level of energy efficiency will reduce CO2 emissions by around 60%, compared to conventionally-built homes.

Tests on other straw bale structures by the University of Bath have established that they are strong enough to withstand hurricane force winds up to 120mph. They also have a fire rating at least double the requirements of Building Regulations.

Mr Pickles MP said: "The High Ongar housing development is wonderful and such a remarkable move forward – in terms of what it delivers and its low energy consumption. I would like to congratulate all those involved as this is the kind of niche development that small communities really need. The High Ongar homes are not only beautiful but very important to the local community."

(CD/JP)