Cristina Diaconu

5 Things to Consider Before Extending Your House

Once you’ve decided to make changes to your home, that feeling of excitement will grow and grow until you break ground on your latest project. Home renovation projects have a way of filling grown adults with such glee. There is just something so thrilling about changing or adding rooms in

Read More »
MHM Group Debut Their Portfolio at the Executive Hire Show

MHM Group Debut Their Portfolio at the Executive Hire Show

MHM will be presenting its fleet hire and rental equipment, including its sustainability product range, to the plant hire, tool and construction industries at the Executive Hire Show in February 2022. MHM will be the sponsor of the ‘Innovation Trail: Eco’, stand at the annual Executive Hire Show. The aim is

Read More »
CERT Property Announce Plans for New Flagship Clipper's Quay

CERT Property Announce Plans for New Flagship Clipper’s Quay

Manchester-based property developer, CERT Property, has submitted a planning application with Salford City Council for its innovative 30-storey, community living project. A total of 402 homes would be provided within the OMI-designed community living scheme. The project will comprise of 3 floors of extensive resident amenity space, 261 co-living studios,

Read More »
Roann Limited Secures Contracts for Two London Projects

Roann Limited Secures Contracts for Two London Projects

Granite and quartz worktop supplier, Roann Limited, has been appointed by Formation Group PLC to provide the worktop materials for two high profile projects in London, Tottenham. Comprising of an apartment block in Tottenham Hale’s Berol Yard and phase two housing for Ashley Gardens in the London Borough of Haringey, the

Read More »
Heat Pump Supplier Welcomes Strict CO2 Emission Cuts for New Homes

Heat Pump Supplier Welcomes Strict CO2 Emissions Cuts for New Homes

New commitments to reduce CO2 emissions from homes by up to 30 percent over current standards has been welcomed by the UK’s leading supplier of ground source heat pumps, and UK-based manufacturer, Kensa Heat Pumps. Coinciding with the manufacture of it’s 10,000th heat pump, the Cornish-based company calls for the

Read More »
Architectural Practice Invests in IT Infrastructure

Architectural Practice Invests in IT Infrastructure

Oxford architecture practice Gray, Baynes & Shew has overhauled its IT infrastructure with a suite of technologies from OGL, to boost business productivity and protect its business while maintaining its position as an award-winning architectural partner. Based at St Thomas House on Becket Street in Oxford, Gray, Baynes & Shew

Read More »
Stylish Shanly Homes Set to Launch in 2022

Stylish Shanly Homes Set to Launch in 2022

Award-winning housebuilder Shanly Homes has had a successful year for property sales, with the housebuilder preparing to launch a number of stylish homes in 2022. Following a successful year for property sales in 2021, properties at Clock Field in Turners Hill, Old Halliford Place in Shepperton, Tilbury Lodge in South

Read More »
RoSPA Launches Free Scheme to Praise COVID Workplace Champions

RoSPA Launches Free Scheme to Praise COVID Workplace Champions

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has unveiled a new COVID Workplace Champion scheme, which seeks to recognise those who have continually gone above and beyond to keep their colleagues safe during the pandemic. Nominations are being sought to recognise those individuals who have not only made

Read More »
Demand for Three-Storey Houses Increases

Demand for Three-Storey Houses Increases

Three-storey living is seeing a surge in popularity in the east of England as more and more people work from home, according to a local housebuilder. One lasting economic after-effect of the pandemic is that increasing numbers of employees are either choosing to work from home or being required to

Read More »
Planning Secured for Residential Development in Cambridge

Planning Secured for Residential Development in Cambridge

Award-winning housebuilder, The Hill Group and its joint venture partner Marshall have secured full Reserved Matters planning for the second phase of the landmark Marleigh development, which will deliver a further 421 new mixed-tenure homes alongside a variety of new public spaces in Cambridge. This new phase will run in conjunction with

Read More »
Latest Issue
Issue 326 : Mar 2025

Cristina Diaconu

5 Things to Consider Before Extending Your House

Once you’ve decided to make changes to your home, that feeling of excitement will grow and grow until you break ground on your latest project. Home renovation projects have a way of filling grown adults with such glee. There is just something so thrilling about changing or adding rooms in your home – you have to experience it for yourself to understand. As exciting as these extension projects are, there are five things that you need to consider before starting them: 1. How Long It Will Take A typical extension project for your home can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to complete. You must allow for surveying and design time, planning, and drawing time. That doesn’t include the time it will take to get the correct permits or find the best contractor for the job. Home extension projects should never be completed in a rush, take your time to complete the project, or else you might regret it later. Time is one of the important factors you need to consider before embarking on a renovation project. 2. How Much It Will Cost Budgets are a necessary part of any home renovation project, so take the time to decide how much you are prepared to spend to achieve your extension dreams. Be realistic and honest about the money you have available to dedicate to your project. Don’t forget to include VAT into your budget; this will reduce your spending power by around one-sixth of your total budget. VAT costs will be levied against materials as well as all builders’ fees. 3. How Much Value It Will Add Your home extension project needs to make sense for it to work. Don’t add rooms or extensions just for the sake of building on – make sure that your extension project will add value to your property. This is particularly important if you have recently bought a new house by browsing Toronto homes for sale. You might want to extend every room, but something will have to give. You need to weigh up the costs of these projects with how much value they will add to your house. 4. Laws By law, homeowners need to make sure that any new building or extension plans for their property have been approved by the relevant local authorities. These plans differ from place to place so be sure to check in with your local department to ensure that your plans are within the laws of your neighborhood. 5. Neighbors All renovation projects, no matter how well they are planned, will affect your neighbors. You need to ensure that your extension project doesn’t negatively impact their views or cause too much noise. It is the neighborly thing to do, to check in with them before commencing any building work. This might not be an actual law, but it will help you to curry favor with the people that you and your family will have to live next door to for years to come. The easiest way to do this is to let them know your plans, how long they will take, and what impact you can foresee for your neighbors.

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MHM Group Debut Their Portfolio at the Executive Hire Show

MHM Group Debut Their Portfolio at the Executive Hire Show

MHM will be presenting its fleet hire and rental equipment, including its sustainability product range, to the plant hire, tool and construction industries at the Executive Hire Show in February 2022. MHM will be the sponsor of the ‘Innovation Trail: Eco’, stand at the annual Executive Hire Show. The aim is to promote products that improve efficiency and lower emissions as part of a drive towards a cleaner, more sustainable future. As a leading supplier of a range of sustainable equipment, including solar hybrid generators and diesel free, solar lighting towers, MHM will be showcasing its products across two stands, with one focusing on the Group as a whole and the second on their new initiative, the MHM ECO range. Not only will the MHM ECO’s ‘Tomorrow’s Innovations, Today’ stand be completely paper free, but for every order placed at the stand, the company will plant a tree. In addition, those who order at the MHM Group stand will receive a complimentary sample of HVO supplied by their corporate partner, Crown Oil. MHM will also be holding a competition at the event, with prizes including an overnight stay at Gileston Manor, a tour of the Penderyn distillery, a Penderyn / Welsh Treats Hamper, an Amazon Echo Show 8 and more. Commenting on the Executive Hire Show, MHM Group’s Managing Director, Mat Llewellyn said: “We are thrilled to be sponsoring and exhibiting at the upcoming Executive Hire Show in February 2022. This will give MHM a great opportunity to showcase our ever growing range of new equipment and demonstrate to the industry the ongoing efforts we are making to become eco-conscious.” The company have recently celebrated a 60% growth in its workforce and recorded a 50% revenue growth, despite industry slowdown. “It’s been an exciting year of growth for MHM. We will continue with our ambitious plans to change the playing field and market we work in. Over the last two years, we have seen a big increase in our clients’ willingness to change to greener products. We aim to help businesses all over the UK and Ireland achieve sustainable goals, including zero-emissions and lower running costs. We can’t wait to see what the next 12 months bring, both for the industry and for our team,” Matt continued.

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CERT Property Announce Plans for New Flagship Clipper's Quay

CERT Property Announce Plans for New Flagship Clipper’s Quay

Manchester-based property developer, CERT Property, has submitted a planning application with Salford City Council for its innovative 30-storey, community living project. A total of 402 homes would be provided within the OMI-designed community living scheme. The project will comprise of 3 floors of extensive resident amenity space, 261 co-living studios, 126 apartments, 15 boutique penthouses, and a sky bar on the top 2 floors offering the best vistas across the Quays. Located to the east of Salford Quays, overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal and expansive waterfront, Clippers Quay will add a new and iconic landmark to the MediaCityUK skyline. The first 11 stories of the build have been purposefully designed to represent the dockside warehouses, with red bricks and dark grey balconies, a nod to the area’s industrial history. In contrast, the upper reflective, unitised glass tower will become a beacon for the development. At the very top of the development will be a stand-out sky bar, open to both residents and the public and built over two floors. Once completed, Clipper’s Quay will be CERT’s flagship development; a pioneering property that hones in on a new way of living, a space that joins up living, working, and socialising; a lifestyle destination on your doorstep.   “Community living at Clippers Quay aims to recreate the community spirit of old, in a contemporary environment. We envisage a new way of living, not just a place to live but an entire lifestyle – one that puts the residents of the building at the heart of everything,” commented Howard Lord, Managing Director of CERT. CERT has plans for a unique hub of social amenity spaces, inspired to help tenants meet like-minded people and build a community through shared experiences and interests. Amenities will include a boutique café and lounge, cycle storage and repair workshop, a health-conscious restaurant, wellness, meditation and quiet spaces, fitness and yoga studios, co-working space, gaming, games and cinema room, auditorium space for talks and events and a roof terrace and sustainable allotment.  Our community living vision has been two-years in the making and we’re really proud that Clippers Quay is the first location we will be bringing our vision to life. We want to recapture that civic and community pride like you would find in the terraced streets of old in Salford and many cities and towns across the UK,” Lord continued. “We consulted the general public in early November and have thoroughly considered their feedback before completing our submission. We’ve even refined our visuals of the scheme to give a clearer view of the design and materials used in the unitised glass tower.” The development team for Clippers Quay includes DOMIS, OMI Architects, landscape architects Layer Studio, structural engineer Renaissance, fire engineer Design Fire Consultants, project manager Artal, planning consultant Enabl, M&E engineer Ridge and SEC Newgate.

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Roann Limited Secures Contracts for Two London Projects

Roann Limited Secures Contracts for Two London Projects

Granite and quartz worktop supplier, Roann Limited, has been appointed by Formation Group PLC to provide the worktop materials for two high profile projects in London, Tottenham. Comprising of an apartment block in Tottenham Hale’s Berol Yard and phase two housing for Ashley Gardens in the London Borough of Haringey, the constructions by Berkley Square Developments have provided more than £1 million worth of work to Roann Limited to supply and fit high-quality, durable worktops. The team specified 166 units of Cosentino Silestone Lusso worktops with splashbacks for Berol Yard to complete the high-level finish seen throughout the build, and 310 units to Ashley Gardens.  “We have always found the Roann team to be professional, pro-active and an efficient organisation. Both projects at Wembley and Berol Yard, Tottenham have been handled superbly and delivered as per our schedules. Roann Limited is a pleasure to work with and we would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone,” said Commercial Manager of Formation Group, Mark Gordon. With the projects on track to begin in January 2022, the new homes will be populated by Winter 2023.  “Working with Formation Group and providing the new developments with worktops is a great way to kickstart the New Year and continue our business growth into 2022. Providing housing with durable, attractive and long-lasting materials is what we’re passionate about so being selected for this prestigious project is an exciting step for us as a company,” added Scott Wharton, Sales Director at Roann Limited. 

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Heat Pump Supplier Welcomes Strict CO2 Emission Cuts for New Homes

Heat Pump Supplier Welcomes Strict CO2 Emissions Cuts for New Homes

New commitments to reduce CO2 emissions from homes by up to 30 percent over current standards has been welcomed by the UK’s leading supplier of ground source heat pumps, and UK-based manufacturer, Kensa Heat Pumps. Coinciding with the manufacture of it’s 10,000th heat pump, the Cornish-based company calls for the revised Building Regulations standards for new build homes, due to be brought in from June 2022, to be a catalyst for flexibility to be viewed as a key factor when assessing renewable energy solutions rather than efficiency alone, and hopes for Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) ratings to reflect this following the Part L and F revisions to the regulations. “We welcome the launch of the latest Part L standards which will encourage more housebuilders to consider low carbon heating choices. We remain convinced that our solution – small ground source heat pumps in each dwelling, linked to a communal ground array – provides the best outcomes for the house builder, house purchaser, environment, and electricity system especially as our ‘split ownership’ model divorces the cost of the ground array from the housebuilder,” explains Simon Lomax, CEO of the Kensa Group. “To support deployment, it is vital that SAP can accurately assess the performance of emerging system architectures and technologies. Many ground arrays can utilise waste heat to bolster the source temperature to improve efficiency and reduce running costs and carbon emissions. This advantage must be reflected in SAP. Equally, the most appealing solutions, for house builders and house owners, will be heat pumps integrated with heat batteries to maximise the ability of the heat pump to operate when electricity is both low cost and low carbon. Pure efficiency is no longer the key metric: flexibility is more important to deliver the best outcomes for all stakeholders.” Kensa’s ‘split ownership’ model is currently being demonstrated through an ERDF funded scheme in Cornwall called Heat The Streets, featuring street-by-street ground source heat pump deployment delivered by Kensa Utilities. Kensa Utilities, and other entities, will fund, own and maintain the underground infrastructure in return for a small standing charge levied on each connected property. Simon continues, “the superior efficiency, flexibility, reliability, and durability of a ground source heat pump will ensure total running costs and ownership costs fall below those of an air source heat pump.” Kensa’s Green Streets augmented reality experience, premiered at COP26 and modelled on the real ‘Green Street’ in Glasgow, demonstrates how a 30% reduction in carbon emissions in new builds along with the decarbonisation of heat in existing homes and business can be achieved, and the flexibility the technology brings to the electricity grid, whilst lowering environmental and societal costs.

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Architectural Practice Invests in IT Infrastructure

Architectural Practice Invests in IT Infrastructure

Oxford architecture practice Gray, Baynes & Shew has overhauled its IT infrastructure with a suite of technologies from OGL, to boost business productivity and protect its business while maintaining its position as an award-winning architectural partner. Based at St Thomas House on Becket Street in Oxford, Gray, Baynes & Shew (“GBS”) took advantage of a free network appraisal which uncovered some concerning weaknesses and cyber threats. The firm works across a range of business sectors including education and healthcare to create buildings for learning, healing, resting, playing or for worshiping. It is on Oxford University’s Capital Projects Framework and has completed projects at a number of colleges including Corpus Christi and Lady Margaret Hall. Poor IT is the last thing any business wants, but it’s especially true of architects that use high-intensity CAD software (computer aided design) for their design work, which demands a powerful, well-managed and well-maintained infrastructure. Realising that its incumbent supplier was not proactive or delivering the level of IT service the practice required, GBS asked OGL to conduct a free network appraisal. This audit is used to establish a company’s baseline security and identify where gaps lie, which is how OGL uncovered some concerning weaknesses and cyber threats. The network appraisal examined every one of the firm’s network assets, from physical servers, virtual servers, network-attached storage (NAS), to firewalls, workstations, printers and much more. The result was an extremely detailed and valuable third-party perspective for the firm’s IT team. “I knew our infrastructure needed work following the shift to more home-working during and since the pandemic, but I was shocked to be shown the extent of its weaknesses and gaps. To hear that a relatively simple check by OGL uncovered our login credentials and passwords had been compromised and were on the Dark Web was a huge eye opener,” explains Tony Stewart, IT Project Manager at Gray, Baynes & Shew. GBS appointed OGL as its IT partner after discovering that its legacy IT infrastructure needed an overhaul and recommended a suite of technology products and services that included server configuration, Synology storage and cloud sync, firewall security, anti-virus, SaaS backup, remote monitoring and patch management. The patch management service is now the firm’s first line of defence. It blocks unwanted traffic, whether that’s protection from emails with very large file sizes or executable files which autorun. While Synology storage helps GBS to manage, secure and protect its data. “IT and cyber security is so important these days, it must be resourced and financed accordingly. Tony was realistic about the work needed to get the network to a good, robust place, following years with an IT provider that didn’t appear to be pulling their weight any longer,” concludes Matt Thorneycroft, Business Development Manager at OGL.

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Stylish Shanly Homes Set to Launch in 2022

Stylish Shanly Homes Set to Launch in 2022

Award-winning housebuilder Shanly Homes has had a successful year for property sales, with the housebuilder preparing to launch a number of stylish homes in 2022. Following a successful year for property sales in 2021, properties at Clock Field in Turners Hill, Old Halliford Place in Shepperton, Tilbury Lodge in South Croydon and Kingfisher Place in Bracknell are all now sold out. Additionally, homes at Potters Place in Haywards Heath and at the award-winning Amber Lodge development in Godalming, are now fully reserved. Now, the Shanly Homes Southern team are preparing for the launch of three new developments across Surrey and Kent in early 2022. Designed to meet the needs of modern buyers, homes at Hillcross Place in Sidcup, The Gables in Beckenham and Broadleaf Place in Caterham will be launching next year. “With all of the challenges the year brought, we are still delighted to have sold out several sites including Amber Lodge in Godalming, Tilbury Lodge in South Croydon, Kingfisher Place in Bracknell, Old Halliford Place in Shepperton and Clock Field in Turners Hill. We are looking forward to launching some new sites next year and continuing to build on this year’s successes,” commented Greg Kaye, Sales Director at Shanly Homes. Due to launch in January, Hillcross Place is a collection of 36 contemporary one and two-bedroom apartments and 6 one-bedroom Shared Ownership apartments situated in Sidcup, Kent. Homes at Hillcross Place will encapsulate the best of open plan living. Contemporary kitchens will come complete with a range of integrated appliances, and all apartments will benefit from the added luxury of a balcony or terrace. Located just a short stroll away from Sidcup High Street, buyers at Hillcross Place will enjoy close proximity to beautiful green spaces at Foots Cray Meadows and a plethora of popular stores at Bluewater Shopping Centre. Shared Ownership properties will be available at Hillcross Place and first-time buyers can take advantage of a 40% Help to Buy loan. Situated in the charming Kent town of Beckenham, The Gables is a collection of 24 one and two-bedroom apartments set to launch in March. Each property will benefit from a spacious kitchen, complete with sleek, granite work surfaces. Bathrooms feature stunning white porcelain sanitaryware alongside contemporary chrome brassware. Ideal for commuters hoping to relocate to a tranquil neighbourhood, Clock House train station is just a four-minute walk away, from which Charing Cross can be reached in as little as 29 minutes. Set to launch in April 2022, Broadleaf Place is an exclusive collection of 34 two, three and four-bedroom stylish homes in Caterham, Surrey. All homes feature modern living spaces that are crafted to meet the needs of today’s homebuyers. Primary bedrooms benefit from spacious fitted wardrobes and en-suite bathrooms. Turfed rear gardens come complete with Indian sandstone patios. Ideal for families, Broadleaf Place is located within easy walking distance of seven schools and nurseries, including Audley Primary School for younger children and de Stafford School for older children. For those hoping to enjoy a selection of restaurants, bars and popular high-street stores, Croydon is only a 20-minute drive away, ideal for a leisurely weekend.

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RoSPA Launches Free Scheme to Praise COVID Workplace Champions

RoSPA Launches Free Scheme to Praise COVID Workplace Champions

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has unveiled a new COVID Workplace Champion scheme, which seeks to recognise those who have continually gone above and beyond to keep their colleagues safe during the pandemic. Nominations are being sought to recognise those individuals who have not only made their workplaces safe, but in doing so indirectly protected hundreds of thousands of people and their families. RoSPA, known for its prestigious health and safety awards which impact on the working lives of more than seven million employees, is now seeking to highlight the contributions of those who have used their expertise, passion and unwavering commitment to help limit the transmission of COVID in workplaces.  “We know only too well the huge effort that has been required to keep workplaces functioning over the past 18 months. We also realise that this vital work must continue for the foreseeable future. Importantly, for each and every one of us, there are COVID Workplace Champions out there and this recognition scheme is for them. We simply want to say thank you, and keep up the great work!,” said Errol Taylor, RoSPA’s Chief Executive. “All businesses and organisations, big or small, have people who are working tirelessly to keep us safe – and often do so in the background and with little or no recognition. This is why we want to say to them: we see you; and we want to celebrate you. “Making a nomination is free and anyone from a CEO to a caretaker can be put forward as a COVID Workplace Champion. We would like to see nominations from all sectors, irrespective of whether they are small businesses or large multinationals, from the public or the private sector, it’s time to show our gratitude to the people who are keeping us safe every day.” Through the RoSPA Champion scheme, anyone can nominate a colleague or someone in their professional network, who they think deserves praise for keeping employees COVID safe during the pandemic. It is completely free of charge to nominate someone and RoSPA welcomes submissions from anywhere in the world.  Successful nominees will receive a certificate and will be invited to attend a celebratory event in 2022. 

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Demand for Three-Storey Houses Increases

Demand for Three-Storey Houses Increases

Three-storey living is seeing a surge in popularity in the east of England as more and more people work from home, according to a local housebuilder. One lasting economic after-effect of the pandemic is that increasing numbers of employees are either choosing to work from home or being required to by their employers. This significant shift towards working from home has resulted in housebuyers prioritising extra space within the house to accommodate that need – and a house with three floors can be the ideal solution. The recently-formed Vistry Group – which includes Linden Homes, Bovis Homes and Vistry Partnerships – has reported increased interest in three-storey houses across its Eastern division, which is building homes in Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Hertfordshire. Jason Colmer, sales and marketing director of Vistry Eastern, said: “We are seeing a marked rise in the level of interest in properties with three floors, in particular at Saffron View in Saffron Walden, at Cavendish View in Thurston, near Bury St Edmunds, and at Hanstead Park in Bricket Wood near St Albans. “Since the lockdown restrictions imposed due to Covid-19, there has been a major shift in the idea of the workplace, with many people reassessing whether they want to work in an office or from home, or a combination of the two. “The three-storey properties we are building offer homebuyers much more flexible space. A three-bedroom house such as the Elmdon, which is available at Saffron View for example, can accommodate a dedicated place to work if required. “A large open-plan kitchen/living/dining room occupies the ground floor, which is ideal for day-to-day living, while a spacious bedroom with en-suite shower room spans the entire top floor. The two bedrooms which occupy the first floor can then either both be used as bedrooms, or one transformed into a home office.” “The range of three-storey four and five-bedroom properties we have at Saffron View, Cavendish View and Hanstead Park are also proving popular. All in all, you can see why people who are now working from home are identifying new-build three-storey homes as the solution to having to provide a ‘work zone’ within their own property. A third floor can give them the flexibility they need to create a home environment to suit their individual lifestyle,” Jason continued. There’s a choice of three-storey homes available to reserve at Linden Homes’ Saffron View, in Saffron Walden, including the three-bedroom Elmdon, a choice of four-bedroom designs and the five-bedroom Fordham. Prices start from £465,000. Three-storey houses at Cavendish View in Thurston, near Bury St Edmunds include the four-bedroom Aslin and five-bedroom Ripley. Prices here start from £339,995. Meanwhile, at Hanstead Park in Bricket Wood, near St Albans, the four-bedroom Aslin and Aslin Executive and the five-bedroom Fletcher Executive are available to reserve. Prices for three-storey homes here start from £619,995.

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Planning Secured for Residential Development in Cambridge

Planning Secured for Residential Development in Cambridge

Award-winning housebuilder, The Hill Group and its joint venture partner Marshall have secured full Reserved Matters planning for the second phase of the landmark Marleigh development, which will deliver a further 421 new mixed-tenure homes alongside a variety of new public spaces in Cambridge. This new phase will run in conjunction with the current phase of the scheme, which aims to deliver 547 new homes and a wealth of community facilities, including a primary school, a nursery, a market square and a community centre over the next five years. “We are delighted to have secured planning for the delivery of more homes and community facilities in this exciting new neighbourhood in East Cambridge, which has attracted a broad mix of buyers already. We have an unwavering commitment to supporting the wider Cambridge local economy, and it has been excellent to see our efforts supported through this latest approval,” said Andy Hill of Hill Marshall LLP. Construction will start on-site to build the homes in early 2022, when a mix of private and affordable apartments and homes will be delivered as part of the long term masterplan. The properties have been designed to feature active frontages and views overlooking open landscaped spaces, helping to improve the indoor-outdoor connection and encourage people to have a better relationship with nature. In addition, every new home will feature a range of energy-saving and carbon reduction features, including fabric first designs, air-source heat pumps and photovoltaics. The master plan for the Cambridge development has been guided by a strong landscape-led narrative and designed as a place where the city meets the country, offering higher density homes with easy access to the Cambridge countryside. As such, Phase 2 seeks to embrace this interplay between urban and landscape living with exceptional green spaces at the heart of the neighbourhood. These spaces encourage healthy lifestyles with a particular emphasis on creating a range of accessible outdoor areas, prioritising pedestrians and cyclists over cars. This will include The Titch, a new garden square that will sit at the heart of the community for easy access by residents. It will provide amenity space, play areas with naturalistic play equipment appropriate to the setting, and SuDS features in landscape corridors to enhance the site’s biodiversity gain. Phase 2 has been underpinned by the vision and essential placemaking principles set out in the Design Code, created for the wider master plan. As a result, the material palette has been carefully chosen to comply with the Design Code and features a diverse range of high-quality brickwork in a range of colours and textures. These materials establish an exciting street scene and integrate with the emerging character that has been developed in Phase 1. Extensive cycle parking provisions have been incorporated for all residents, including the apartment buildings, each with a dedicated secure bike store close to the entrance.

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