A sustainable development group set up by Croydon Council have been granted permission to build nine new green homes on Covington Way in Norwood.

Brick By Brick are currently developing over 1,000 homes in the borough and tout their commitment to a "new set of One Planet Living principles" that include a commitment to zero carbon emissions from energy and heating and the use of sustainable materials in construction.

The nine "private and shared ownership flats" will be built on a suburban infill site on Covington Way. They were designed by Sarah Wigglesworth Architects in partnership with Brick By Brick.

Among the homes' green credentials are air heat pump systems that heat the homes using air drawn from outside, and a location between "a retained open green space and the newly created community garden".

This Is Local London: Artists' 3D render impression of the Covington Way development via BBBArtists' 3D render impression of the Covington Way development via BBB

"The new building completes the corner site and frames the green space, with large dormer windows providing views across Norwood Grove recreation ground and balconies looking onto the canopies of mature trees, many of which will be retained as part of the development," a spokesperson for Brick By Brick described.

"The scheme features a number of measures to improve environmental performance, including air source heat pumps that use renewable energy," they added.

Colm Lacey, Chief Executive of Brick By Brick, offered his thoughts:

"Securing planning consent for this site is another step forward for Brick By Brick’s ambitious pipeline," he said.

"These homes, which have been designed in close collaboration with the local community, will help to address the shortage of high quality and affordable homes across Croydon."

This Is Local London: Artists' 3D render impression of the Covington Way development via BBBArtists' 3D render impression of the Covington Way development via BBB

Sarah Wigglesworth, the Architect-Director involved in designing the housing, said on securing the planning permission for the Covington Way site:

"SWA is proud to be part of the team delivering much-needed housing to the community in Croydon.

"Our nine, high quality homes reflect diverse local demands by providing dwellings of different size, accessibility and tenure."

"The new building unifies two street fronts as a striking focus point, using its corner location to address the existing open green space," Wigglesworth added.

There is a severe shortage of affordable homes across Croydon as there is across the entire UK.

Despite a 2015 election commitment to build 200,000 affordable homes, a 2019 report by the National Audit Office found the government had failed to build a single one as specified.