Significant progress has been made on a new neighbourhood in Daventry after Midlands-based homebuilder Spitfire Homes and Crest Nicolson secured reserved matters approval to build 222 properties on land at Malabar Farm. West Northamptonshire Council’s planning committee has approved current proposals, representing the first phase of the development, which will
STATISTICS from the HomeViews 2023 Build-to-Rent (BTR) Report reveal that the biggest drop in tenant satisfaction ratings year-on-year are management and customer service related. According to Wise Living, this needs to be addressed or risks damaging the reputation of the booming BTR sector, especially for Single Family Housing (SFH), which has felt the brunt of dissatisfaction. Anne Malone, head of customer experience at Wise Living said: “We
Neinor Homes today announces that it has raised a green loan of 140 million euros with a three-year maturity (2026), demonstrating the company’s creditworthiness and its ability to raise both project and corporate financing. A joint deal has been structured for this financing transaction, backed by Banco Santander, BBVA and
With an increase in the built urban environment over the UK and plans to build 300,000 new homes every year, the permeable land across the country is diminishing, meaning surface runoff water is overwhelming drainage pipes. What, if anything, can new homes and commercial property developers, local authorities, and planners
Barratt Developments’ Kirk Raine has been named the Supreme winner at this year’s NHBC Pride in the Job Awards. Kirk was named as the Supreme winner in the Large Builder Category for his work managing The Grove at Doseley Park, near Telford. The NHBC Pride in the Job Awards are
Rollalong Ltd has become the only specialist offsite manufacturer of modular homes to join the Homes England Delivery Partner Dynamic Purchasing System, which makes it easier for housebuilders of any size to access Homes England land. Homes England is the Government’s housing delivery agency. The framework is one of the
North East-based regeneration specialist RE:GEN Group has delivered £9.5m worth of decarbonisation works to over 1,600 social rented homes. Achieved in little over eight months, the team has delivered more than 4,100 energy improvement measures as part of the UK Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF). Working with a range
London boroughs have launched a Housing Development Academy with backing from the Mayor of London to boost council housebuilding and help tackle the capital’s homelessness crisis. Believed to be the first collaboration of its kind between local authorities in the UK, the academy will help ensure London has the skills
Housebuilders north of the border are calling on Scotland’s new first minister, Humza Yousaf, to engage with business and remove obstacles hampering the delivery of new homes. The appeal coincides with government housing statistics reporting a 12 per cent fall in new starts, down by 2,580 to 19,227, in the
Award-winning housebuilder Crest Nicholson has purchased the Wheatley Campus site from Oxford Brookes University, as they look to deliver much needed high-quality housing to meet local demand in the area. The 53 acre site has outline planning consent for the development of 500 homes, of which 35% will be affordable
Significant progress has been made on a new neighbourhood in Daventry after Midlands-based homebuilder Spitfire Homes and Crest Nicolson secured reserved matters approval to build 222 properties on land at Malabar Farm. West Northamptonshire Council’s planning committee has approved current proposals, representing the first phase of the development, which will comprise a mix of one- to five-bedroom homes, 65 of which will be affordable. The wider scheme will also incorporate more than 20 hectares of public open space, a new primary school, nursery and community centre, alongside food and retail units. Located on the western edge of Daventry, the 50-hectare development already has outline planning permission of the neighbourhood for up to 1,100 new homes, meeting rising demand for homes due to employment growth, investment activity and strong connectivity links in the area. Defined by its West Northamptonshire countryside setting and strategic location at the heart of the national road network, Daventry provides a rare and sought-after balance of urban and rural lifestyles. Ben Leather, Managing Director at Spitfire Homes, said: “Daventry is a growing market with house hunters looking for accessible country living and an attractive work-life balance. Strong transport links and employment opportunities in the area make it particularly attractive for new home buyers, so we expect to see a lot of interest in these homes. “We’re committed to meeting the rising demand for new homes across the Midlands region, supporting our vision to deliver high-quality, future-proofed homes fit for modern living. We recently made our debut in Northamptonshire, with work well underway at our nearby development in Kislingbury, so we’re really excited this scheme has also taken a positive step forward.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
STATISTICS from the HomeViews 2023 Build-to-Rent (BTR) Report reveal that the biggest drop in tenant satisfaction ratings year-on-year are management and customer service related. According to Wise Living, this needs to be addressed or risks damaging the reputation of the booming BTR sector, especially for Single Family Housing (SFH), which has felt the brunt of dissatisfaction. Anne Malone, head of customer experience at Wise Living said: “We are at a point of exponential growth for the BTR sector, with BTR SFH especially growing at pace. So, it is disheartening to see findings from HomeViews, that point to customer experience issues, especially in the SFH category – with BTR apartments, for example, achieving higher ratings across the board than SFH. “As an industry we absolutely must be prioritising quality of customer service, as well as the quantity of BTR SFH developments. “Earlier this year, we reported that our tenant satisfaction scores are on the increase, due to our ongoing efforts to prioritise customer experience. An example of this is Wise Living achieving a record Net Promoter Score (NPS) of +81 in response to the following question: ‘How likely are you to recommend Wise Living to family, a friend, or colleague?’. NPS can be anywhere between -100 and +100, and according to the creators of the NPS metric, Bain & Company, a score above 80 is world class.” Showing the rapid growth of BTR SFH, the HomeViews report revealed that 31 new SFH schemes became operational in 2022 until September, with 15,000 SFH units in the planning pipeline during that time – double the number of the previous year. Paul Staley, managing director at Wise Living said: “Growth figures for BTR SFH are strong, and will continue to grow in the future as more families choose to raise a family in rental accommodation due to the increasing cost of home ownership, which includes the need for larger deposits with tougher underwriting criteria. “Existing tenants are also looking for more energy efficient homes that are cheaper to run, while offering a flexible living space. With this, we understand that looking outside of cities is proving attractive – with a significant minority willing to move greater distances to be closer to green spaces, work opportunities, schools or family. “In fact, in the past year 16.24% of Wise Living tenant applications have moved an impressive 50+ miles to their new BTR SFH home. While this figure is less than applicants who have chosen to stay within one-three miles of their previous home (34.78%), it showcases how relocations, often from urban city centre areas to more suburban developments, are catching up.” The typical Wise Living tenant across its current nine developments still fits a profile recognised by Savills, with applicants more likely to be child-free. However, when an applicant does have children, this is usually two (14.1%) followed by one child (8.1%) and then less commonly three (1.1%). Anne Malone added: “Our developments are well suited for working people and families. So, while the majority of our applicants do not have a child, it is important for us to cater for both. However, no matter what type of applicant, the fact remains that fantastic customer service throughout the whole experience must be prioritised and should never slip. With a growing BTR SFH market, the challenge will be to ensure pace doesn’t overtake a quality customer experience.” To find out more about Wise Living, visit www.wiselivinghomes.co.uk/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Neinor Homes today announces that it has raised a green loan of 140 million euros with a three-year maturity (2026), demonstrating the company’s creditworthiness and its ability to raise both project and corporate financing. A joint deal has been structured for this financing transaction, backed by Banco Santander, BBVA and JP Morgan, reflecting the financial support and appetite from both Spanish and international banks to invest in the Spanish market. The cost of the loan, including the interest rate swap and savings from the various bond repurchases, is 4.17%, which is lower than the interest cost of the bond issued in 2021 before the start of the conflict in Ukraine, and the rise of inflation and interest rates. The loan allows the company to exercise its right to redeem the outstanding balance of its green bond, the principal amount of which amounts to approximately €143 million following the tender offer launched at the end of February 2023. The redemption is expected to be executed on 27 April 2023. The refinancing marks the first milestone in the company’s new strategic plan, of which one of the main pillars is to focus on shareholder returns with the aim of distributing approximately 600 million euros by 2027. Over the same period, the company plans to allocate more than one billion euros to new direct and indirect investments in order to manage its growth in a capital-efficient manner. Jordi Argemí, Neinor Homes’ Deputy CEO and Chief Financial Officer, commented that “The notes’ redemption was key to meeting one of the main drivers of our new strategic plan disclosed to the market at the end of March: delivering shareholder returns of up to €600m between 2023 and 2027. In addition, we are proud to have been able to reduce the company’s net financing cost (from 4.5% to 4%), in the context of ongoing high interest rates.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
With an increase in the built urban environment over the UK and plans to build 300,000 new homes every year, the permeable land across the country is diminishing, meaning surface runoff water is overwhelming drainage pipes. What, if anything, can new homes and commercial property developers, local authorities, and planners be putting in place to alleviate the strain? Here Raj Somal, Director at the sustainable engineering consultancy, Dice, explores why the UK needs to invest in SuDS. Over the last six years there has been considerable investment in protecting property from the risk of flooding. Government investment between 2015 – 2021 of £2.6 billion has seen over 314,000 homes become better protected with more than 850 new flood and coastal erosion defence projects completed. It’s suggested that this work is estimated to have reduced national flood risk by five percent. But for homeowners living in at risk areas, does this offer enough reassurance that the issue of flooding is being taken as seriously as it should? And is investing in SuDS, Sustainable Drainage Systems, the way we should be going? SuDS mimic natural water systems and are an efficient way to manage surface water drainage. Here at Dice, we’re committed to the UK investment in SuDS. SuDS are designed with four key components in mind – water quality, water quantity, amenity, and biodiversity. By designing SuDS which follow these four pillars, they will effectively be used to control, absorb, and treat surface runoff. They are specifically designed to not cause an eyesore to the area, and are integrated through strategic development and planning into the local landscape. SuDS can be underground and overground, but it’s those on the surface which provide the most opportunity and benefits for treating surface runoff within the built environment. There are several different types of SuDS which are slowly being implemented across the UK, for both larger and smaller scale projects. For example, detention basins are storage basins covered in vegetation to capture and store run-off which is then slowly discharged via a restricted outfall, reducing the impact on drainage features downstream. On a smaller scale, swales are shallow, flat bottomed, vegetated open channels designed to convey, treat, and often attenuate surface water runoff. But why do these urban drainage systems need to be as sustainable as possible? We recognise the importance of protecting our natural environment, and it is becoming increasingly obvious that the UK must protect its existing resources. One of which is water. Implementing SuDS into the UK’s built environment will allow us to truly make the most of surface water run-off which would otherwise be wasted. SuDS offer great advantages to the local landscape, vegetation, and wildlife, whilst also helping to reduce the impact of ever growing concerns of flooding. . SuDS can provide better quality spaces to the newly built environment whilst simultaneously being advantageous for the climate and biodiversity of the UK by managing, absorbing and controlling water surface run-off. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Barratt Developments’ Kirk Raine has been named the Supreme winner at this year’s NHBC Pride in the Job Awards. Kirk was named as the Supreme winner in the Large Builder Category for his work managing The Grove at Doseley Park, near Telford. The NHBC Pride in the Job Awards are known as the ‘Oscars of the housebuilding industry’, and to win the Supreme award is to be recognised by the NHBC as the best site manager in the country. This is the sixth time that a Barratt site manager has won the Supreme award in the past eight years. It is also the third time that Kirk has won the award, making him the biggest winner of this prestigious title over the last decade. Kirk was also runner-up five years ago. This year Barratt had 98 of its site managers win a Pride in the Job Quality Award – more than any other housebuilder for a phenomenal 18 years in a row. On top of that five of those winners went on to be named as a Regional winner, with 34 earning coveted Seals of Excellence. The success at the Pride in the Job Quality Awards underlines the commitment Barratt has to delivering high quality homes, and the standard of work that its site teams deliver day-in and day-out, putting the customer at the heart of everything it does. Steven Boyes, chief operating officer at Barratt Developments, said: “We put great store in the NHBC Pride in the Job Quality Awards, as they showcase what building homes is all about – the highest standards of excellence and quality for our customers. For Kirk to win the Supreme award again for a third time is an incredible achievement, and one everyone at Barratt should be proud of.” To mark this achievement and to celebrate the work of all of its site managers, Barratt is making a donation of £25,000 to The Lighthouse Club. This charity is the only one to provide mental, physical and financial wellbeing support to all those working within the construction industry and their families. Barratt has supported The Lighthouse Club for a number of years and, since awarding a £50,000 grant last year, the charity has also been an official partner of the Barratt Foundation. This is in recognition of the value of the support that the charity provides to people throughout the housebuilding industry. Commenting on the Awards, NHBC Chief Executive Steve Wood said: “At NHBC we believe that the calibre of the site manager and the way they inspire their site team has the greatest influence on the quality of the finished home. By promoting friendly rivalry, showcasing best practice and rewarding excellence, Pride in the Job supports the delivery of homes of the highest quality. “Congratulations to all the 2022 Pride in the Job Award winners. The role of the site manager is more demanding than ever, with new methods of construction, new technologies and an increased pace of regulatory change. They are an inspiration to us all and should be very proud of the quality of new homes they are creating.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Rollalong Ltd has become the only specialist offsite manufacturer of modular homes to join the Homes England Delivery Partner Dynamic Purchasing System, which makes it easier for housebuilders of any size to access Homes England land. Homes England is the Government’s housing delivery agency. The framework is one of the largest vendors of residential land in the UK and Homes England’s largest procurement exercise to date, valued at £20 billion. The DPS is a primary route for Homes England’s land disposal which offers housing providers like Rollalong the exclusive opportunity to bid for Homes England sites. Other public bodies may also use the DPS to procure developers, broadening housebuilders’ exposure to potential projects. Established in 1932, Rollalong has a wealth of experience in the residential, defence and education sectors and is currently manufacturing and installing modular homes all across the south of England. Steve Chivers, Managing Director of Rollalong, said: “After a rigorous application process, we are delighted to be appointed to this framework alongside major housebuilders. “This demonstrates Homes England’s confidence in our ability to deliver new quality homes at scale. “Our land-led development arm Newship Developments, which is part of our parent company the Newship Group, has extensive experience in land and property acquisition which complements and supports our work in the residential sector.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
North East-based regeneration specialist RE:GEN Group has delivered £9.5m worth of decarbonisation works to over 1,600 social rented homes. Achieved in little over eight months, the team has delivered more than 4,100 energy improvement measures as part of the UK Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF). Working with a range of partners including Gentoo Group, believe Housing and Karbon Homes, 1,619 homes have been upgraded to have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C. Lee Francis, CEO of RE:GEN Group, said: “As a direct result of this work, more people are now living in warmer, more comfortable, energy efficient homes. “In partnership with our clients and with the support of a fantastic supply chain, this first scheme of work has been delivered on time, within the original deadlines set out by the UK Government – a fantastic achievement for all involved.” RE:GEN Group installed 4,179 efficiency improvements, from deep retrofit measures including external wall insulation, new windows and doors, PV panels, and whole house ventilation strategies, to more light touch measures of loft insulation and installing energy efficient lightbulbs Following the recent announcement of SHDF wave 2, RE:GEN Group will deliver approximately £20m of decarbonisation works over the next 20 months to homes across the North East Brian Bedford, head of sustainability at RE:GEN Group, said: “Here at RE:GEN, we are passionate about sustainability, whether that’s reducing the carbon footprint of our own operations, or sharing our knowledge and expertise with those we work with and the wider construction industry. “The last eight months have been both a steep learning curve and huge success in equal measure. To have improved the efficiency of over 1,600 homes in such a short space of time is an incredible achievement which has only been achieved by the hard work of all involved with the projects.” The SHDF was launched to help landlords with the costs of decarbonising their properties to achieve an EPC rating of C across all homes by 2030. The funding supported the installation of energy performance measures to tackle fuel poverty, reduce carbon emissions and deliver warm, energy efficient homes. Marc Edwards, director of asset and sustainability at Gentoo Group said: “Gentoo appreciate the impact that the current cost of living crisis is having on our tenants. When energy bills are at an all-time high, it’s now more important than ever that we do everything we can to provide our tenants with safe, decent and energy efficient homes. “Through the funding we received from wave 1 of the SHDF, we were able to improve the energy efficiency of more than 400 homes with our delivery partner RE:GEN Group.” Ruth Dent, director of assets and compliance at believe housing, said: “Working with RE:GEN Group, we’ve successfully upgraded the energy efficiency of more than 1,200 homes. “The measures installed are helping our customers to feel warm and comfortable at home, and to manage their energy costs. “Importantly for believe housing, everyone working on the scheme was from the area, so the local economy has also benefitted, and we’re reducing the impact of our housing stock on the environment. “This has been a brilliant scheme of works, which is making a real difference to our customers and the planet. “We now look forward to working together to reach even more homes and customers with the next phase of decarbonisation works, part funded by SHDF wave 2.1.” RE:GEN Group supported Karbon Homes with the delivery of a £2.5m retrofit project, which included improving the energy efficiency of homes in Ouston, County Durham. Works included the installation of external wall, cavity wall and loft insulation, to tackle the fabric performance of the property, and integration of PV panels into the roofs to help reduce fuel bills and support grid resilience. Craig Lonsdale, asset and sustainability at Karbon Homes, said: “With the cost of energy rising fast, our work to improve the efficiency of our homes for our customers has never been more important. It’s been great to work with RE:GEN on this project, taking a fabric first approach to delivering energy efficient measures and insulation upgrades to homes in Ouston.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
London boroughs have launched a Housing Development Academy with backing from the Mayor of London to boost council housebuilding and help tackle the capital’s homelessness crisis. Believed to be the first collaboration of its kind between local authorities in the UK, the academy will help ensure London has the skills required to deliver council-built homes in even larger numbers. In the face of London’s severe housing pressures, boroughs are playing a key role in driving up delivery of affordable homes – including through building new council housing for their communities. Council housebuilding is at its highest level since the 1970s, with more than 5,000 new council-built homes started in London last year – more than the rest of the country combined. The Housing Development Academy will support this ambitious housebuilding agenda by offering short courses on the skills needed to build more homes, from the initial site analysis techniques through to the financial appraisals and commercial assessments required for large-scale investment. Set up by the London Housing Directors’ Group with the support of London Councils and grant funding from the Greater London Authority, the academy’s training programmes are delivered by Future of London, the capital’s leadership and networking organisation for the built environment. The training is open to staff from local authorities, housing associations, and for-profit developers – but with priority given to London boroughs. Although local authorities were major housebuilders for much of the 20th century – delivering hundreds of thousands of new council homes each year across the UK – their role declined significantly from the 1980s onwards as a result of central government policy. By 1993 council housebuilding had practically ended and local authorities’ housing development skills and expertise were much depleted. With renewed flexibilities to enable council housebuilding in recent years, London boroughs are determined to strengthen their capacity as housing developers and deliver a new generation of council housing. The academy will enable staff from London and further afield to train alongside each other, to learn from real-life scenarios, and to acquire the skills needed for ramping up delivery. Cllr Darren Rodwell, London Councils’ Executive Member for Regeneration, Housing & Planning, said: “Boroughs are proud to be building the next generation of council homes across the capital. “We’re determined to give more Londoners the opportunity to live in affordable, high-quality homes. That means building more council housing, as boroughs were able to do in previous decades. This is vital for our vision of London as a fair, economically dynamic and environmentally sustainable city. “The Housing Development Academy will play a pivotal role in making sure London has the skills required to deliver the council-built homes our communities are crying out for.” Joanne Drew, Co-Chair of the London Housing Directors’ Group, said: “Boosting delivery of new homes is essential for tackling London’s chronic shortage of affordable housing. “Through the Housing Development Academy, council staff will strengthen their skills while sharing experience and learning from each other’s work. It’s a great example of boroughs collaborating to support our collective capacity as housebuilders and to take on one of the most significant challenges facing the capital.” Nicola Mathers, Chief Executive of Future of London, said: “Future of London is proud to be delivering this important collaborative project with London boroughs. The initiative is providing high-quality training, which will equip local authority housing practitioners with the skills they need to build more homes. “Accelerating the delivery of genuinely affordable rented homes is crucial to London’s social and economic sustainability. That’s why we are delighted to be working with local authorities to make that happen.” Tom Copley, London’s Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, said: “City Hall has led a renaissance in council homebuilding, with council-led delivery last year hitting the highest level since the 1970s. “Ensuring that councils have the right specialist skills to continue to deliver affordable homes in the face of budget cutbacks is crucial to achieving a fairer and more equal London for all. “The Mayor and I are proud to be funding London Councils to launch the Housing Development Academy, delivered by the Future of London. The academy will support councils in building on their skills to continue delivering high-quality, genuinely affordable homes Londoners deserve.” London’s homelessness crisis is the most severe in the country, with London Councils’ latest analysis suggesting 166,000 homeless Londoners – including 81,000 children – are currently living in temporary accommodation arranged by their local borough. London accounts for almost two-thirds of England’s temporary accommodation population, with Shelter estimating that one in 58 Londoners is homeless. Collectively, London boroughs have more than 300,000 on their housing waiting lists. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Housebuilders north of the border are calling on Scotland’s new first minister, Humza Yousaf, to engage with business and remove obstacles hampering the delivery of new homes. The appeal coincides with government housing statistics reporting a 12 per cent fall in new starts, down by 2,580 to 19,227, in the year to the end of September 2022. There was also a 27 per cent drop in housing association approvals to build new homes. Homes for Scotland, HFS, chief executive Jane Wood said: “His appointment presents the perfect opportunity to review the regulatory areas and other issues creating blockers to residential development across sectors to ensure that housing in Scotland meets the needs and aspirations of everyone living here.” The trade body, which represents 200 Scottish housebuilders, has warned the government’s target to build more than 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 will be difficult to hit. Recent planning guidance for new developments to comprise at least 25 per cent of social housing, and the introduction of Passivhaus energy standards by the end of 2024, have caused concern. Supply chain capacity fears over Passivhaus The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations said Passivhaus would result in higher building and maintenance costs and that supply chain capacity is insufficient to deliver these homes at scale. Scottish Property Federation director Robin Blacklock said: “There’s been a wider concern among the business community about the direction of policies and their relationship with businesses.” The Scottish building industry has said while it supports the country’s ambitious net-zero targets it’s worried about the practicalities of achieving them. Scotland has pledged to be net-zero by 2045 – five years earlier than England with both Edinburgh and Glasgow city councils aiming to be net-zero by 2030. It also hopes to take one million homes off the gas grid with alternative energy sources such as electric heat pumps by 2030. “There is a concern about meeting time scales as we’re still trying to recover performance after the Covid pandemic,” said Mr Blacklock. Blacklock added developers and housebuilders would be seeking to develop a positive relationship with Mr Yousaf where business is seen as a means for achieving new housing objectives. Brokers Hank Zarihs Associates said development finance lenders would like to see a speedier response to planning applications as this was one of the biggest hurdles facing SME housebuilders. Mr Yousaf has taken an active interest in housing in particular tackling the shortage of homes for key workers in remote parts of the country. He has also said he would increase council tax on second homes across the Highlands, islands and north-east to limit holiday homes. He narrowly beat Kate Forbes on the 27th of March to become the first minister. His Scottish National Party government is in a coalition with the Green party, which commentators predict will require careful handling. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Award-winning housebuilder Crest Nicholson has purchased the Wheatley Campus site from Oxford Brookes University, as they look to deliver much needed high-quality housing to meet local demand in the area. The 53 acre site has outline planning consent for the development of 500 homes, of which 35% will be affordable housing. The development will provide a mixture of two, three, four, and five bedroom houses, along with some apartments. There are also community facilities planned, such as public open space, a sports pavilion, bowling green, and a cricket pitch. CBRE advised Oxford Brookes University on the transaction. Situated close to the villages of Wheatley and Holton in Oxfordshire, the development is just a few miles away from Oxford city centre. Wheatley high street contains a number of independent shops, pubs, and restaurants, and the location also provides a great link to London via the M40. Nicholas Daruwalla, Land Director at Crest Nicholson South, commented: “This is a key purchase for Crest Nicholson, given the site’s prime location and scale. It is in close proximity to major employment, retail, leisure, and education hubs, making it a highly desirable location. These characteristics, coupled with the area comprising high levels of housing demand and low levels of supply, makes this deal an important purchase for the business. We are pleased to be working with Oxford Brookes University to bring this development to fruition, and with this deal, we will provide a number of much needed homes, including affordable housing, to help meet local demand. At Crest Nicholson, we invest in placemaking, aiming to deliver attractive homes, amenities and open green space to improve the quality of life for residents, helping to build future proof communities to be proud of.” Jerry Woods, Director of Estates & Campus Services at Oxford Brookes University, comments: “We’re pleased to have worked with Crest Nicholson and our real estate advisers CBRE on this sale which will facilitate the move of our remaining activity from the Wheatley Campus to new, state-of-the-art facilities at our Headington campus. The Wheatley site will provide a high-quality residential environment, offering an assortment of housing types to meet local needs. Oxford Brookes has been proud to call the Wheatley Campus home for close to fifty years and the University will continue to engage with local groups and individuals while we remain on the site over the next 18 months.” Jasper Masters, Executive Director, CBRE said: “We are delighted to help deliver such a successful outcome on behalf of the University for this premium asset. The Wheatley sale represents the largest single family housing site to have exchanged in the UK since last September’s mini budget. A sale of this nature will provide the development land market with a strong sense of optimism. As an Oxford Brookes alumnus, I’m really proud to have played a part in the Campus’ next chapter and look forward to seeing Crest Nicholson’s vision for the site being realised.” Crest Nicholson hope to begin works at the end of 2024, with the first completions to be expected in Autumn 2025. Local residents, businesses and users of the Oxford Brookes Wheatley Campus will be kept updated on the works as they develop. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
