Environmentally conscious landlords can now invest in the UK’s first ever carbon zero housing development in Manchester.

Set on Mason Street in the Northern Quarter, the Xantium building will house 61 apartments designed to meet Code 6 - the highest possible rating in the new government system to measure the sustainability of new homes.

The scheme was designed by award winning Manchester-based Makin Architecture and will be carried out by building firm Moylan Homes.

The apartments start at £150,000 for a 675sq metre one bedroom home, and will have designs and facilities enabling them to produce no carbon emissions at all – the first homes in the UK to do so.

Martin Moylan, chairman of Moylan Homes, said: “We are immensely proud to be the first builder in the UK to make this commitment to the future of sustainable housing in Britain. The government, environmental agencies and consumers are increasingly aware of the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions.”

The Xantium building will offer a range of innovative features that address the health, safety, wellbeing and ecology concerns of residents. Highlights of the development include: zero stamp duty on all apartments due to the Code 6 accreditation, larger than usual terraces on each apartment, the highest efficiency walls and windows reducing heat loss and solar gain, water saving features, large windows and energy efficient cooking and heating appliances.

Zero carbon new homes are critical in achieving the governments target to cut C02 by at least 60 percent by 2050 and by 2016 all new homes in England will have to be carbon neutral. In order to achieve Code 6, which quantifies net carbon emissions of zero, every component used in the building has to be renewable and sustainable.