Works has been completed on over 35 new council homes using the latest energy-saving technologies off Gressel Lane in East Birmingham.

Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust, Birmingham City Council's brand name for new homes, has built the new council homes with Morro Partnership as part of a pilot project to build new high-quality, eco-friendly, cheaper-to-heat homes.

The development was partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Midlands Engine.

As part of the council's Route to Zero commitment to addressing climate change and reducing fuel poverty for its tenants, all the new homes include heat pumps, solar panels, electrical storage batteries, and other technologies that prevent the waste of heat and water.

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For the next 12 months, the council will monitor the new technologies to analyse their effectiveness, gather information and learning inform future developments, and provide ongoing support to families.

Councillor Jayne Francis, cabinet member for housing and homelessness, said: "It is wonderful to see these modern, high-quality homes finished and new council tenants moving in.

"The new technology in these homes will cut the energy bills of council tenants and make them safer and warmer.

"We are in a national housing crisis, and four out of five homes in Birmingham's housing stock are over 50 years old. So this development will help provide much-needed warm, safe, and sustainable homes for our tenants.

"Our priority is ensuring all our tenants and leaseholders live in warm, safe, and sustainable homes. For this reason, the council is investing a record £5bn over the next 30 years in improving existing council homes, in addition to building new ones.

"I look forward to seeing more of our tenants living in warm, safe, and sustainable homes like these in the future."