CRookham paRk Lifestyle


Phase one flats at CrookhamPark are nowcomplete; a variety of homes is availableon this Hampshire development


surrounded by largetractsofmaintained forest with walkways andconservationareas to encouragewildlife. One and two-bedroomflats have been built


the barracks in August 2000 and the site was sold forhousing by theMOD. Theformer headquartersadministrationbuilding has beenmoved and is preserved at the Aldershot MilitaryMuseum.Taylor Wimpey bought the land in 2002 andconstructionofnew homesis underway,withphaseone nowcompleted. Today, theformermilitary site is split


betweentwo developments:CrookhamPark andHighTrees.Ithas beentransformed into amix of housingand apartments -somein private ownership and somepart-owned by affordable housingproviderSentinelHousing. To date,60shared-ownershipflatshavebeen sold and all are occupied, with more to come as phase2ofthe 872-homedevelopmentis completed. To-date, flats on thedevelopment have proved popular with prospective buyers, notonlybecausetheyare affordable butalso becauseoftheir location.CrookhamParkis closetojunctionfouroftheM3,offering easy


Residentscan expect to keep energy bills low


accesstoReading andBasingstoke, as well as boasting afastraillinkfrom FleettoLondon Waterloo. A good mix of newresidents,which


includesprofessionaland semi-retired couples andfamilies is also beingattractedbylocal amenitiesincluding theclose proximityof Church Crookham,aprettyvillagewhich datesbacktothe Domesday Book andthe townof Fleetwhich has good local shops and restaurants. Arange of newfacilities including aschool, communitycentreand sports areas is plannedfor CrookhamPark,which is


Jargon busterWhat Isshared-oWnershIp?


Sharedownership is a systembywhich a homeowner takes out amortgage to buy a proportion ofahouseor flatand pays rent on the remainder, typicallytoa localauthority or housing association. Shared ownership propertiesare


Flat Living Issue 17


alwaysleasehold andyou areonly eligible forthe schemeif: n your household earns £60,000 a year or less n you’re afirst-timebuyer (oryou used toowna home,but can’taffordto buy one now) n you rent a council


or housingassociation property Ashouseprices


increase,particularly in the SouthEastandfirst time buyers find itharder toget onto thepropertyladder, sharedownershipschemes areexpectedtobecome increasinglypopular.


at CrookhamPark starting at £160,000 plus an annual servicechargeand an additional chargefor heat andpowerwhichisgenerated on-site.However,residents canexpecttokeep energy billslow as aresultofthe fact that theirhomes have beenbuilttoachieve alevel 3ratingunder thegovernmentstandardset by theCodefor Sustainable Homes. Thismeans that they should achievemeasurableenergy savingswhencomparedtoanequivalent property builttothe standardsset by the pre-April 2013 Building Regulations(formore on energy savings in newbuild homes, see On the record, page 11 of this issue). Theflatsalso have carparking spaces andbicycle storage andresidents have easy accesstopublicopen spaces, footpaths, shops and play areas. The flats at CrookhamPark aremanaged by


Hertfordshire-basedpropertymanagement specialistsBalinor Group Holdings,which has considerable experience of workingwith housingassociations, although chiefexecutive Debbie Perry confirms this is its largest commissionto-date.Amanagementcompany has been established forCrookhamParkand Balinor’s Adrian Cookeiscurrently responsible forliaisingwithresidents as well as ensuring thequality of serviceproviders andmonitoring maintenancecontracts.The companyis nowinthe processofrecruitinganew estate managerwho will be basedon-site andwho will be thefirst pointofcontact forbothflat owners andmaintenancecontractors and othersuppliers.ACrookhamParkforumhas been established to keep residentsupdatedon issues that affecttheir homesand thegeneral management of thedevelopmentand there are regularmeetings with both Balinor Group Holdings andTaylorWimpeytoensurethat communication is both open and effective. Thefinalhomes on the50hectare site are


duefor completion inMarch2015, giving a wholenew leaseoflifetoapiece of land with an honourable military history.●


15


ImAgES courtESy of SEntInEl HouSIng


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