A TEST ’decarbonisation’ project will be run by housing association Two Rivers on a number of houses in the Forest.

Two Rivers says it has identified 17 of it homes in Blakeney as being suitable for a complete ’retro-fit’.

The project will see changes to the fabric of the houses to reduce its carbon impact and maximise the benefit of renewable energy systems.

Housing chiefs says they expect a 45 per cent drop in carbon emissions for homes involved in the project.

The work should also improve the energy performance, making the homes cheaper to heat.

Two Rivers has appointed Bristol-based architects gcp for the project design which will specify the changes that will have to be made to the homes.

The association, which provides affordable housing to more than 4,200 families across Gloucestershire, was awarded a £500,000 grant by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to part-fund the pilot earlier this year.

Luke Beard, assistant director of assets for Two Rivers Housing, said: "The appointment of a well-established, experienced architect is key to ensuring that we get the best results for our tenants, homes and organisation, so I am very pleased to be working with gcp Architects who will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the project, which will be shared with our in-house team."

Michael Hanson, Senior Architect at gcp added: "We are committed to a proactive approach to advise and support clients on a wide range of sustainability issues and this is an excellent step forward as part of low energy design principles and delivery of energy efficiency via retrofit of existing building stock."