Lifestyle Balls Park


is believed to have beenthe inspirationfor someof Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice and has also been used as a location for the films The Young Victoria,Amazing Grace and The Golden Compass,aswellasseveral television series, including FoylesWar, TheInspector Linley Mysteries and Bleak House. DeveloperCity&Country Group,which


specialisesinbringinghistoricbuildingsback into use as homes, has created 17 apartments andtwo duplexes in theMansionHouse andtheWest Wing at BallsPark. Therewill be sevenone-bedroomand12two-bedroom properties, ranging from789 sq ft – 2530 sq ft. City&Country has worked hard to safeguard and improve the setting of the buildings andtoguarantee that theoriginalgrandiose proportionsofthe principalroomsremain intact.Eachofthe homesinthemansionwill have accesstothe privategardens andhistoric parkland, giving residentsthe opportunity to enjoy living in a substantial country housewithout thetypical responsibilities of maintaining an estate of such a size. Properties in themansionboast grand


living spaces that benefit froma combination of period styleand original features buthave beenfitted outwithelegant contemporary interiors.Many of theapartmentsfeature beautifully restored plasterworkceilings, ceiling to floor panellingand marblefireplaces. Bespoke kitchens have been designed for each property andinclude arange of integrated stainless steelappliances,whilethe bathrooms incorporatewhite sanitaryware andchrome fittings. Original flooringhas beensensitively restored or replaced,featuringamix of wool carpets, porcelain floor tiles, parquetflooring and original floorboards. Elsewhereonthe estate, residentshave


alreadymovedintohomes in theGrade II listed Coach House and The Stables, built in 1902,which cameon to the market in two phases in October 2010 and July 2011. AccordingtoHelenMoore, Residential


Managing Director at City&Country Group, it has been apainstaking butrewarding job to repair andrestoreall theoriginalfeatures of thebuilding that have ledtothe property’s Grade I listing. These include elaborate decorative plasterworkfeaturing family motifs,the checkerboard marblefloorinthe vestibule, thestunningwood panelling(see front cover of this issue) and the original sash windowsand fireplaces.Helen is delighted with theend result,asisGeorgeClarke, TV’s ‘restorationman’,who has been working with City&Country Group to raiseawareness of the dire state ofmany of our forgotten historic buildings.:“Across thecountry,thousands of oldbuildingslie forgottenand neglected, andmany of these are steeped in history and areofoutstandingarchitectural interest,but aresadly beingforgotten about,”hesaid. “It is fantastic to see Balls Park, one of the finest examplesofBritain’s architecture,brought back to life...” Thefirst apartmentavailableinthemansion


at BallsParkispricedat£1.5million.Sowhat canpotential purchasersexpectfor that rather hefty price tag? The two-bedroomground floor apartmentcovers2,536 sq ft andfeaturesa


14


The west wing at Balls Park


grandlivingspaces


largedrawing roomandveryspaciousdining kitchen, apantryand alaundry room.Both bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms and the apartmenthas agarageand an underground parkingspace.ManagementfeesatBalls Park rangefrom £1,449 perannumforaone bedroomapartmentinthe Stablesto£3,505 foragrandiose twobedroomapartmentinthe Mansion. ExploreLivingisaco-developerwithCity


&Country at BallsPark. City&Country are responsible forTheMansionbuilding,The Stables, TheCoach Houseand theWest Wing. ExploreLivingare responsible forthe North, East&South Wingsand they’vealsobuilt houses on HarrisonLaneand Willis Grove. Propertymanager Duncan Johnson from


Encore Estateshas day-to-day responsibility foroverseeingthe propertymanagement for both developers.The companymanages other City andCountry Group estates in Brentwood andBraintree andwas delightedtowin the contract forBalls Park.Withabroad-based portfolioofdifferentpropertytypes from four to 200 units, Encore has experience


Properties in the mansionboast


ofmanaging estates at thetop endofthe spectrumon behalf of discerning residents whoexpectalot fortheirmoney.Accordingto Duncan,Encore’sphilosophy is to “managethe estateasthoughwelivethere,whichmeans we care aboutitinthe samewaythe residents do. Our aim is to enhance the lives of residents and protect the value of owners’ assets.” Services provided at BallsParkcover the


day-to-day upkeepofthe estateincluding landscaping andmaintaining the gardens, cleaning communal corridors andhallways, serviceandmaintenanceofmechanical andelectricalequipment such as firealarm systemsand vehiclegates,assistance with refuse and recycling and utilitymanagement. “On-the -groundservices arecarried outby our own teamof dedicated caretakerswho take greatpride in lookingafter theestate,“ says Duncan. “That way, residents get to see the samefaces every week.Wealso provide a 24-hourcall-outservice to provide themwith complete peaceofmindand, as an extra, a conciergeservice canarrange anything from household services to lifestylemanagement.” Sowhat are the particular challenges of


Aperfect film andTVlocation


managing such an extensivelistedbuilding? A listed property requires special attention but sound proactive planning, using a 10- year maintenanceplan, helpsusmanageit effectively,Duncanexplains. “For alisted developmentthisplanshouldbereassessed at least every 12months. This enables us to monitor thebuildingsand ensure they are kept in agood stateofrepairand redecoration so that building elements arenot left to deterioratetothe pointwhere they require extensiverepairorreplacement”. He addsthat sometimes theremay be a premiumfor certain worksandmaterialsbecausemaintenance workshavetobecarried outsympathetically, usingtraditional building skills andlike-for- likematerials.Residents arekeptinformed of the plannedmaintenance programme and Encore writes to themthroughout the year to update themonmattersrelatingto theproperty. Thecompany plans to launch an online portal in 2012 so that owners can log-in,managetheir accounts anddownload information.●


To find out moreabout BallsPark, go towww.balls-park.co.uk


Winter 2011 Flat Living


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68