LOCAL family-owned business Fraser Millar, one of Northern Ireland’s longest established and most progressive housebuilders has called for an increase in standards of the current building regulations for energy efficiency in Northern Ireland as part of the drive to meet Net Zero targets.

Caption: Members of the All-Party Group on Climate Action, are pictured during a visit to Lancaster Park with Fraser Millar Directors, John Carrigan, David Millar and Charles Millar, which was organised by Sustainable NI.

The request coincided with a facility visit for members of the All-Party Group on Climate Action organised by Sustainable NI at the company’s 219-unit Lancaster Park development in the Four Winds, Belfast where cutting edge Passivhaus construction techniques have already delivered significant reductions in energy use.

John Carrigan, Director with Fraser Millar explains, “We are delighted to have the opportunity offered by Sustainable NI to host local MLAs and Councillors and increase their awareness of the economic and environmental benefits of this innovative alternative to conventional housebuilding. Passivhaus principles are setting a new benchmark for energy efficiency in the housing market, which supports homeowners, and far exceeds Northern Ireland’s current building regulations.

“Passivhaus homes use 70 to 90 per cent less energy than conventional homes with more than 90 per cent of the heat generated, within the home, staying in the home, potentially saving residents hundreds of pounds on heating bills every year. Not only that, but they are designed to promote higher air quality due to continuous ventilation and a heat recovery system that reduces pollutants and dust which can be beneficial to those with allergies. None of these principles are difficult to implement or construct, it is just about the attention to detail and doing it right.”

The only company in Northern Ireland to gather data allowing it to monitor the performance of their Passivhaus homes, Fraser Millar’s statistics show better results than initially expected, with recent studies reporting that typical standard new build homes are performing between 52% and 98% worse than predicted at design stage. Conversely, real data from Lancaster Park is showing the houses to be performing better than predicted at design stage. In fact, monthly data demonstrates that a four bed, 1365 sq ft Langham house, with a family of four is currently showing an average monthly expenditure of £75 per calendar month for all heating, hot water and general electric use.

“We like to think of ourselves as trailblazers, constantly challenging construction standards in Northern Ireland, particularly in relation to low energy homes,” says John Carrigan. “With the adoption of Passivhaus principles we believe we can help to revolutionise the housing sector in the future, delivering better for the environment through lower carbon emissions and significantly reduced energy bills for customers. A typical new build house emits 6,000 tonnes of carbon per year, whereas our houses emit less than 0.5 tonnes.

“The figures we have produced to date speak for themselves and when extrapolated across Northern Ireland, can only mean positive and impactful results for government and homeowners alike.”

Commenting on the importance of such familiarity visits, Nichola Hughes, Director of Sustainable NI said,” Given the targets set for Net Zero in 2050, it is vital that our political representatives are fully briefed on all possible solutions to help deliver a zero-carbon future for Northern Ireland. Passivhaus technology is an innovation that offers a positive impact on the environment in terms of construction but also economically for householders at a time when costs are increasing across the board.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Fraser Millar on this occasion and look forward to some affirmative action from the members of the All-Party Group following such an informative visit to Lancaster Park.”

Lancaster Park is Northern Ireland’s first large scale Passivhaus certified housing development, followed by the company’s recently launched second such development Beaufort Green on the Comber Road in Carryduff and another is planned for Killinchy Road in Comber.

Multi award-winning, the Fraser Millar team scooped Developer of the Year 2023 at the PropertyPal Awards.

For more information on Fraser Millar and it’s Passivhaus developments, visit the website: www.frasermillar.co.uk.

Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd has welcomed a new era for public transport as services begin to be phased in at Belfast Grand Central Station.

Bus stands at the new world class transport hub became operational this week in the first phase of opening. Set to be Ireland’s largest integrated transport hub, the new facility will advance the transformation of public transport with a step change in customer experience.

A date for the commencement of rail services will be confirmed once the rail safety authorisation process is complete.  That important and necessary process is continuing and will be finalised as soon as possible to enable train services at the new station to get underway.

Public Realm work to put a clear focus on allocation of road space to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport around the station will continue in to 2025.

Speaking as he opened Grand Central Station as bus services begin to operate, John O’Dowd said: “This is truly a new era for public transport here in Belfast and across the north and indeed the island of Ireland.  This new flagship station is iconic as well as historic and it signals our intent in relation to our climate commitments and our focus on transport decarbonization.  

There is no doubt that this is an impressive facility with the space to cater for up to 20million customer journeys per year, with 26 bus stands and double the number of rail platforms from four to eight.  With 200+ spaces for bicycles, we are focused on encouraging more active travel and providing passenger facilities and services that deliver an enhanced user experience.

“This is an example of the importance of infrastructure and the transformative changes my department can deliver.  I would like to thank everyone who has worked tirelessly on this project to make this happen and bring the vision of Ireland’s largest integrated transport hub to reality.”

 Chris Conway, Translink Group Chief Executive said: “We are excited to be opening this modern major transport interchange this week.  With advanced customer features and integrated networks, it offers huge opportunity to grow public transport driving economic development across the region and play a major part in tacking the climate emergency.  That means a better-connected future for people and communities for generations to come.

“I would like to thank the Minister and his Department for the funding and the wider NI Executive for their support in designating this as a Flagship Project.

“I would also like to thank the Translink team and the contractors for their commitment and dedication to get this project to this key stage”.

Duane McCreadie, Project Director for Farrans Sacyr JV, said:  “The departure of the first bus from Belfast Grand Central Station this weekend has been a proud moment for the FSJV team who have worked hard to deliver this first operational phase on time.

“There has been a true sense of collaboration on this project since day one and we have worked closely alongside Translink, Babcock and our local supply chain to meet the challenging construction programme. This is an impressive building which has been built for the city of Belfast by local people who are invested in our region. We know that it will have wide ranging positive benefits for sustainable travel in Northern Ireland.”