An award-winning housing association site in Thamesmead is breaking boundaries in the development of green homes KERRY ANN EUSTICE asks what it is about EcoPark which keeps the accolades coming

Have you ever considered energy efficiency to be too cutting-edge, costly and inaccessible?

A site in Thamesmead aims to make such negative notions a myth. EcoPark is the first environmentally-sustainable housing development built for Gallions Housing Association and has recently re-opened its doors to the public for tours of its Naked House.

EcoPark is made up of 39 affordable homes which have been specifically designed to reduce energy and water consumption and running costs for its residents. Gallions claim "It is a forward-thinking yet practical experiment in social housing design".

Gallions thinks the most common misconception of eco homes was about the cost, which was why it was keen to match the budget of these green properties with the bill of a new-build.

The Naked House has been stripped back to reveal the eco features which operate in all of the EcoPark's homes.

You can pull out a section of the wall to see how the property has been constructed from renewable materials such as timber, admire the finish provided by water-based paints, enjoy the warmth of the under-floor heating system, walk through a sunspace and touch a solar collector or even wash your hands with a spray tap which reduces water usage by 50 per cent.

The EcoPark pays attention to the little details too, such as can crushers in the kitchens and large sheds for a family's fleet of environmentally-friendly bicycles.

The initial reason Gallions appealed to adapt Naked House was it wanted to share what it had learnt when researching and building EcoPark.

It proposed EcoPark to be a monitored experiment in house building, so it was awarded an Innovation and Good Practice grant, from the Housing Corporation, so the ideas for Naked House could be realised.

Since it was launched, the EcoPark has won many other prizes for its forward thinking.

Gallions' sustainability manager Rebecca Miller said: "We've had exceptionally positive feedback. We won Best Energy Saving Development, from the Telegraph's What House? awards, which is known as the Oscars of house building and we have won prizes for innovation and affordability.

"What's great about the Naked House is it gives real people access to the development.

"Very few developments allow people to get a real good look. But here you can poke your nose in and we've shown visitors and people in the industry it can be done in affordable housing."

Rebecca says the Naked House has brought much publicity to the EcoPark development.

She said: "People are very intrigued by the house and how it works. We have had around 1,500 visitors since it 2002 and now we've re-opened the doors we'd like to see bookings of five or more."

Rebecca has targeted schools and invited them to take an environmentally-friendly tour.

She says there has been a good response but would certainly like to see more children coming along.

For more information, visit the website gallionsecopark.co.uk