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Woolly jumpers for our new homes in North Yorkshire

Our new homes in Masham, a North Yorkshire town known for its long history of sheep farming, are going back to the town’s roots as part of an innovative, eco-friendly project.

Four one-bed flats, which we're developing as part of Peacock and Verity's 15 Silver Street project, are being wrapped up warm with sheep’s wool insulation as part of the refurbishments.

The apartments will be the first test site for a new initiative called Sheepish which aims to get sheep’s wool insulation used in the building of new homes across the country. At the test site contractors and builders will be invited to learn how to install sheep’s wool insulation, as part of the initiative which is being backed with funding from North Yorkshire Council and the North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub.

James Kilroy, Head of Land and Partnerships Yorkshire at Karbon Homes, said: “Silver Street is a project we’re proud to be involved in, providing much-needed affordable homes for local people who often find themselves priced out of living in the area.

"We're committed in ensuring all new homes developed have high energy performance which helps to lower energy bills for our customers. This project is special in that the use of sheep’s wool insulation links the energy efficiency of these homes directly to the community’s heritage, utilising a plentiful local material.”

The 300 year-old 15 Silver Street building is being transformed into a unique community and heritage centre for the town, which will include a Victorian grocers, an Edwardian-style tearoom, a Post Office main counter, and a new heritage centre celebrating the story of Masham.

The flats on the upper floors will be managed by Karbon and kept exclusively available for residents with a connection to Masham. The development of the flats is being supported by funding from Homes England, through our strategic partnership with the government’s housing delivery agency.

Jan Reed, Project Manager at P&V, says: "We’re really excited to be leading the Sheepish project at Peacock & Verity. We didn’t just want to refurbish our own building; we also wanted to do everything we can to share the knowledge and skills to make other buildings more sustainable.

"Sheep’s wool is the perfect insulator for traditional stone buildings - not only is it a warm blanket, but the wool’s structure helps to wick moisture away and is a natural fire retardant. And most importantly, it’s environmentally friendly. It lasts for decades and can be composted at the end of its life, unlike man-made insulation which is often full of plastic.

"It makes so much sense for us to be using it at Peacock & Verity - we’re from Masham afterall! If it’s good enough for sheep on a windy moor, it’s good enough for us to use in our buildings."

The links between Masham and sheep farming go back thousands of years. Sheep farming is thought to have been introduced to the area by Viking settlers and Masham even has a breed of sheep named after the town.

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