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CUTTING-EDGE
homes in Haverhill —including some using hemp as a building material — are among the first in Britain to be officially opened.
Two of the 18 homes at Teasel Close have been built using hemp — the plant which yields rope fibre and in some cases the active principle of the drug cannabis.

It is a move which so far has proved successful and could revolutionise the building industry if it catches on.

Council leader Ray Nowak opened the homes, which form a £1.5 million social housing development built by the Suffolk Housing Society in partnership with St Edmundsbury Borough Council and the Housing
Corporation. They are now all occupied by tenants from the council’s housing register.
Coun Nowak, who holds the housing portfolio at St Edmundsbury council, said:
“This scheme is an important addition to Haverhill’s rented housing stock, and it gives me great pleasure to be able to officially mark the completion and occupation of these homes.
“I’d also like to thank Suffolk Housing Society and all those associated in bringing to fruition these high-quality homes.”
Steve Clarke, chief executive of Suffolk Housing Society, said: “This was a very exciting project, as not only have we been able to
help provide attractive, affordable housing for the people of Haverhill, but we have been involved in something that could change the way we think about building homes in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way in the future.”
The development, off Park Road, is on a 1.2-acre site on the western edge of the town.
It has a mixture of bungalows, terrace and semi-detached two-storey houses, providing two to five bedroom homes.

The homes were built by DCH Construction, of Coggeshall, to a design by architects Poole and Pattle of Ipswich, with grants from St Edmundsbury council and the Housing Corporation.

E-Mail Link: jodeeks@haverhillweeklynews.co.uk