20 CASE STUDY
heating. The properties are built to be fully compatible with the latest home technology too, should buyers wish to install electric curtains or smart lighting, for example.
“Many purchasers have also been keen to use our interior design service,” says Banks. This involves buyers working with the developer’s in-house team to decide on elements from window treatments through to bespoke furniture. Just as much attention has been paid to the outdoor space, with communal parkland interspersed throughout the development, including retaining the substantial green at the entrance to the site. Alongside this, accompanying all family homes are “lavishly” planted private gardens, adding to the estate’s “quintessential country feel.”
ECOLOGY
When it came to the development’s environmental properties, all the homes have been built to Octagon’s “customary high energy standards,” including an EPC ‘B’ rating.
THE DEVELOPER WAS REQUIRED TO OBTAIN A BAT LICENCE TO ENSURE THE TEAM DID NOT DEMOLISH BUILDINGS DURING THE HIBERNATION SEASON
WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK
As part of this, each property has been fitted with whole-house ventilation with heat recovery systems, helping to reduce energy loss. EV charging points have also been situated across the development for electric cars, fitted with three-phase electric current to support faster chargers. Octagon carried out a number of ecological surveys with a specialist consul- tancy in order to evaluate the pre-existing wildlife on the development, to protect them throughout construction and re- introduce them once the development was complete.
The surveys informed the team of the presence of reptiles and bats on the site, and as such the developer was required to
obtain a bat licence. This informed the demolition process to ensure the team did not demolish buildings during the bats’ hibernation season.
Octagon also erected temporary bat boxes around the site to create alternative safe roosting sites. Similarly, all reptiles were removed from site prior to construc- tion and the developer built a protective barrier around the perimeter of the site to ensure they were not put in danger. “We are re-introducing this wildlife
back to the site through our landscaping and installation of permanent bat boxes,” Banks adds, “providing habitats for the existing wildlife to return.”
SUCCESS
Looking back on the completed stages, Banks says he’s “very pleased” with the achievements thus far. According to the developer, demand for the project has been “overwhelming” ever since it launched in September 2019, which is the ultimate barometer of success.
He remembers how the homes garnered near-instant interest when Broadoaks Park hosted over 350 guests at its off-site launch event, with all of phase 1 being reserved soon after. Now, “only a few” homes remain in phase 2, and reportedly, many buyers are now enquiring about phase 3. “With future phases going through planning, we have been able to amend plans based on the demand and sales to date, giving us valuable feedback before we start construction,” says Banks. He concludes: “From adding home offices to replacing semi-detached properties with detached homes, we are adapting our plans to create the most appealing homes for our target audience.”
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
