FLATS due to be built on a former social club site will be the first low carbon properties provided by a Hampshire council.

Testwood Club closed in 2018, having served the local community for about 70 years, and is set to be replaced by 12 affordable homes.

New Forest District Council (NFDC) approved the scheme last year after buying the two-storey building in Salisbury Road, Totton.

The one and two-bedroom homes will be allocated to people on the council's Homesearch register. Low carbon features will include air source heat pumps, triple glazing and electric vehicle charging points.

Daily Echo: An artist's impression of the proposed development.An artist's impression of the proposed development.

A council spokesperson said: "This is an important new development that will give local residents a glimpse of how homes of the future may look."

NFDC is developing a Greener Homes Strategy as part of its commitment to tackling climate change.

The Totton scheme is likely to be completed ahead of the government’s Future Homes Standard deadline of 2025, when properties will be expected to produce carbon emissions that are 75-80% lower than current levels.

The council's application to replace the club with flats said the community activities that took place in the building had switched to other venues.

Daily Echo: An artist's impression of the proposed development.An artist's impression of the proposed development.

Objectors claimed the scheme was too big and amounted to overdevelopment of the site. They also feared extra traffic would endanger cyclists and pedestrians.

But council officers cited the number of people waiting for affordable homes in Totton.