We’re delighted to announce that we’ve secured a £55m loan from Lloyds Bank, enabling us to press on with our plans to build 1,700 more affordable and sustainable homes by 2034. The revolving credit facility will allow us to access the funding over a period of time to support affordable housing development in our communities.
Since Selwood Housing was founded in 2001, we have been a customer of Lloyds Bank. This has enabled us to grow, now providing over 7,000 homes for affordable rent and shared ownership across Bath, Somerset and Wiltshire.
We’re currently on a quest to achieve net zero by 2050. As part of this commitment to providing sustainable homes, we’re aiming to achieve an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C or above for all our homes by 2030. At present, 75% of our homes already meet or exceed the EPC C rating, and over 90% of our new builds meet EPC B or above.
Embracing a ‘fabric first’ approach in our development programmes is helping us to work towards our sustainability targets. This means we prioritise the energy efficiency of a property right from conception through to the design and development process. This includes choosing suitable core materials for doors, walls and windows, to ensure we meet the necessary requirements.
Our Group Finance Director, Mark Mayler said:
Our commitment to supplying affordable and sustainable housing to help revitalise our local communities remains at the heart of everything we do. Lloyds Bank has backed our vision from the very start and this latest support will ensure we can continue to make a real difference and tackle the housing challenge head-on in the South West for many years to come.
Earlier this year, Lloyds Banking Group announced a new partnership with homeless charity, Crisis, and called for one million new social homes to be built over the next decade.
Valeriia Watts, Associate Director of Real Estate and Housing at Lloyds Bank, added:
The team at Selwood Housing recognise how important it is to build homes that can both help plug the housing gap in the coming years but are also fit for the future. We’re proud to support vital housing providers like Selwood Housing to help them reach their sustainability targets and give more people access to affordable housing.
