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Net Zero Carbon
A scheme that is not only net-zero carbon, but also delivers against the requirements of ultra-low embodied carbon showcases good quality architecture.
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Updated plans to develop the Old Malling Farm site.
OUR VISION
TopHat and our partners are looking to deliver 226 new homes at Old Malling Farm.
We are consulting on the new plans that we have started to develop and would welcome your feedback. We will be holding public consultation events 1st & 3rd June, or you can leave feedback via this website. Can’t make an event? You can view our proposed plans below.
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Upcoming Public Consultation
Cliffe Hall 28 Cliffe High Street, Lewes BN7 2AH
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June 1, 2023
2:00 pm - 8:00 pm
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June 3, 2023
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
OUR PLANNING
Architectural Drawings
Please see below the initial proposed layout for the Old Malling Farm site.
OUR HOMES
As the homes are all intended to be delivered for local people, we want local residents to have an opportunity to share their views.
The new scheme will deliver 100% net zero carbon homes, which means that they will all be affordable to heat for the resident and won’t create a negative environmental impact. We also intend to have a minimum of 50% affordable housing, with residents allocated by Lewes District Council. The remaining 50% of the homes will be for key workers in Lewes, at a discount to market rent.
Sustainability
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Quality
Delivering a high-quality design that embraces modern delivery methods to ensure a highly environmentally sustainable neighbourhood and least disruption to local residents.
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Landscape
A landscape and ecosystem services-led approach development that incorporates aspects of the character identified in the Landscape Analysis, is clearly read as part of Lewes, and responds to and celebrates its countryside setting in the National Park and Ouse Valley.
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Biodiversity
Conserving and enhancing biodiversity, enhancing and linking green infrastructure, and bringing people closer to nature through generous urban green and blue infrastructure amongst the houses in the form of, for example, street trees, rain gardens and native hedges.
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Public Realm
Creating high quality, clearly defined public and private spaces within the public realm, resulting in a mixed community with multi-functional. Adaptable and inclusive spaces providing homes where people are encouraged by their environment to engage with one another.
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NMU Network
A scheme that is accessible to both the town centre and the surrounding countryside via non-motorised routes, and provides safe, attractive and easily accessible networks of paths and cycle ways around the site.
Have questions?
Take a look at our commonly asked questions below or view all our FAQ’s by following the link below.
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01How are TopHat homes made?
TopHat homes are timber framed homes made through a flow line manufacturing process to bring significantly higher levels of accuracy and build quality. A TopHat home is delivered in 2 or 3 modules that are finished externally and internally in the factory, delivered to site on a truck and craned into place on top of traditionally built foundations on site. The modules are then connected together and commissioned ready for handover. The production of the entire structure of the home including walls, floors, ceilings and in some cases roofs, is fully automated. Panels are assembled into volumes and fitted out with semi-automated machines and assisted by manual tasks defined by standard operating procedures.
The process is driven by a fully coordinated digital twin design model specific to each home that is manufactured. The digital model instructs the machines that cut and assemble the structure and generate all the parts for procurement. This in turn avoids coordination errors and ensures quality control and consistency. The TopHat system has the following independently audited accreditations: BOPAS (Build Offsite Property Assurance Scheme), ISO9001:2015 Quality Management System, ISO14001:2015 Environmental Management System, ISO45001 2018 Occupational Health and Safety.
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02How sustainable is a TopHat home?
A TopHat home has ultra low embodied carbon emissions.
For upfront Embodied Carbon, the LETI 2020 target for residential buildings is Band C at 500 kgCO2e/m2.
The LETI 2030 target is Band A at 300 kgCO2e/m2. For Whole Life Embodied Carbon, the RIBA 2030 Built Target for residential is band B at 625 kgCO2e/m2, with the current figure being 1,200 kgCO2e/m2.
With a whole life embodied carbon of 221 KgCO2e/m2 it is 82% less than a traditionally constructed masonry home and 60% below the 2030 RIBA target. Its timber structure (including the ground floor cassette) and the TopHat facade system both contribute to this.
In terms of performance the home can deliver up to Net Zero Carbon emissions in operation when considering regulated energy (heating and lighting). All homes are fully electric and provide heating and hot water via an Air Source Heat Pump as standard. Net Zero homes will also include an upgraded insulation within the structure and photo voltaic solar panels on the roof.
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03What space standards do the TopHat houses deliver to?
The broad range of typologies and sizes allows a range of layout options to meet various space standards (NDSS, M4(2), M4(3)) as required on a specific site. In the case of some typologies, multiple internal layout options exist on the same type to allow it to be adapted to suit different user/tenure and space requirements.
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04Where are TopHat homes made?
TopHat is a technology-enabled volumetric home builder based in Derbyshire employing 300 people.
Its current factory has the capability of producing 600 homes per year, and its second factory based in Corby will produce 4500 homes per year from summer 2024 through a highly automated, robotic manufacturing process.
The company has invested £150m of private capital to date to develop its systems and processes and is currently working with a range of institutions, housing associations and private developers to deliver beautiful and sustainable homes across all housing tenures.
Get in touch
If you would like to get in touch or participate in our questionnaire – click the link below.