Regional Housebuilder Welcomes Ilminster Town Council’s Support To Outline Planning Application

Independent, family-owned developer C G Fry & Son, welcomed the decision by the local Town Council to support outline planning application to build 330 new homes with 35% affordable housing on land at Shudrick Lane, Ilminster.

The application site is located in a sustainable location, directly adjoining the existing settlement boundary and within walking distance of the town centre. 

David Lohfink, Land and Planning Director said: “We welcome the council’s support for this site.  It’s clear that they feel this scheme is needed and represents local opinion. The site presents a real opportunity for us to deliver a high quality and walkable new neighbourhood, capable of delivering significant social, economic and environmental benefits for Ilminster.”

The planning application proposes a total of around £1.6 million towards a package of youth and community facilities throughout the area. Projects highlighted in the proposals include contributions towards a new artificial pitch and community hall in Ilminster and funding for improvements to Chard swimming pool.  Contributions totalling over £1.2 million will also be made available for pre-school places and Ilminster’s primary and middle school.

Going forward the planning application will be determined by the South Somerset District Council Area West planning committee. 

Mr Lohfink comments: “In our view this scheme is commensurate to the role and function of Ilminster as a primary market town with substantial Section 106 benefits for the town and the wider area, including Chard.”

www.cgfry.co.uk

Last Few Remaining Homes Available At Duchy Of Cornwall Site

Award-winning Dorchester-based developers C G Fry & Son Ltd., announces there are the last few new homes for sale on Phase 3 at Tregunnel Hill with the Duchy of Cornwall located on the edge of Newquay.

C G Fry & Son has received numerous regional design and quality awards throughout the South West for developments including the internationally renowned and Poundbury development in Dorchester for The Duchy of Cornwall.  The independent family-run company is renowned for quality of design and construction and attention to detail.  It has an enviable reputation and an extensive portfolio of high-quality projects ranging from private individual houses to major developments built in harmony with the local area. 

 

Tregunnel Hill boasts traditional buildings with stylish décor, showcasing the beauty of Cornish architectural heritage.  The homes enjoy new building techniques offering 21^st century standards of energy-efficiency and security.  Locally sourced materials are used such as Cornish granite, minimising carbon emissions and boosting the local economy. 

Although completely sold out on the first two phases, on Phase 3, there are two and three-bed terrace homes and one remaining four-bed with garage and sparking space available with prices ranging from £212,000. 

Caroline Hill, Head of Sales & Marketing – C G Fry & Son said: “Tregunnel Hill is a delightful and unique development in North Cornwall which captures the ethos of The Duchy of Cornwall to utilise local trades and materials to support the local economy.  Because the first two phases sold out so quickly, people may think that there are no more houses for sale but we still do have a few remaining homes available to purchase.  This is a rare chance to purchase a traditional Cornish house with all the benefits of modern technology and building practices.”

Prices range from £212,000.  For more information on Tregunnel Hill contact:

E:  tregunnelhillsales@cgfry.co.uk

T: 01637 871694

Sales office open Thursday – Monday from 10am – 4pm.

www.cgfry.co.uk

Award-Winning Regional Housebuilder Submits Outline Planning Application To Taunton Deane Borough Council

Multi-award winning Independent developer, C G Fry & Son Limited, announces its submission of outline planning application to build 650 houses, including 25% affordable housing, on land at Jurston Farm, Wellington, which will now be considered by Taunton Deane Borough Council.  

The application is in outline form with the means of access to be determined and proposes a mixed-use development*(please see note to Editors).  This comprises open market and social housing and a local centre and central square.  There is also land reserved for a new primary school and public open space, which will incorporate a number of amenities including allotments, a junior football pitch and a community woodland.

The vision is to create a high quality, urban extension that helps to meet the housing needs of Wellington.  Development of the site will represent an efficient use of land with high quality design creating a genuine community and an attractive environment with a strong sense of place.  The form of development will draw on the rich heritage of the town and, in particular on the attractive streets of the historic core.  

David Lohfink, Land and Planning Director – C G Fry & Son said: “Taunton Deane Borough Council has allocated this site for development within its Core Strategy.  The principle of development is therefore already established and we are now delivering the Council’s vision for the town.  The site’s selection has been through a number of stages in the democratic process and the submission of this outline planning application provides the community with a further opportunity to comment on the proposals.”

Independent Developer Opens New Taunton Office

Independent builder C G Fry & Son Ltd., known for its quality of build and attention to detail, announces the opening of a new satellite office at Victoria House in Victoria Street, Taunton.  

 Mike Pinney Contracting Director and Caroline Hill, Head of Sales & Marketing of C G Fry & Son outside new Taunton office

The award-winning company is internationally renowned for its prestigious Poundbury development with The Duchy of Cornwall, which has been a NHBC award-winning site for C G Fry & Son on no less than five occasions.  The privately-owned builder also picked up a total of four individual NHBC Quality awards in as many different counties in July this year.  This included the company’s Fern Green in Langport, Somerset for site manager Dave Pillinger at the ‘Pride in the Job’ 2014 awards.  The firm won further awards at the South West regionals held at Weston-super-Mare in October including regional winner for Poundbury.

A family-run company with its head office based near Dorchester, C. G. Fry & Son was established in the early 1920’s by Managing Director, Philip Fry’s grandfather.  The company today has a turnover of over £50 million and carries out projects in contracting, development and partnership housing across the South West Region.  The company delivers projects in a variety of ways including formal partnering arrangements, Design & Build or through traditional or two-stage tender process.The new Taunton base will be utilised to service minor contracting works, extensions, refurbishment and new/major projects up to a value of £4m across a large number of sectors throughout Somerset and Devon. With a specialist knowledge of historic and listed buildings, the company employ a direct labour force of skilled tradesmen including carpenters and stonemasons.  The company has its own joinery works with a range of craftsmen who design and make bespoke furniture, doors, staircases, traditional window and hand-built kitchens in a range of wood.  The team of qualified craftsmen across a number of trades is supported by a robust supply chain of quality subcontractors to deliver high standards across a number of sectors.

Two recent C G Fry & Son contracting projects in Somerset are located in the charming and picturesque village of Trull just 2.5 miles from Taunton.  These are a stand-alone two-storey classroom block for Trull Primary School and a new community centre for All Saints Trull Parochial Church Council completed at the end of September.

Mike Pinney, Contracting Director - C G Fry & Son said: “With the difficult economic climate, particularly in the construction industry, there have been many unfortunate casualties with a number of reputable building companies in Taunton sadly going into administration or leaving the town.  Part of our company business plan strategy is to grow the Contracting arm of the business and taking an office in Taunton will hopefully open up many more tendering opportunities in Somerset for us to facilitate this growth. In the longer term we are also looking for our Taunton office to help with the growth of the development and partnership housing side of the businesses. We have just completed two great projects in Taunton which we hope is just the start for us in Somerset.”

Local Developer Wins More NHBC Awards

Dorchester-based independent developer C G Fry & Son, is celebrating the success of two of its site managers, Steve Walker of Poundbury, Dorchester and Adrian White of Wyndham Place in Tisbury, Wiltshire,  receiving further awards at the NHBC (National House Building Council) ‘Pride in the Job’ 2014 regionals ceremony.  These prestigious awards follow on the back of four of the firm’s site managers being recognised with ‘Pride in the Job’ awards in July this year for individual C G Fry & Son developments across the South West.

Jim Lyons, Regional director for South West at NHBC/ Steve Walker, award-winning Site Manager – C G Fry & Son / Chris Rash, Commercial Director and Chief Financial Officer – NHBC

‘Pride in the Job’ is the only UK-wide competition dedicated to recognising site managers who achieve the highest standards in house-building and has been instrumental in driving up the quality of new homes for 34 years.  The judging process begins in July each year and lasts 18 months to ensure that site managers are assessed at every stage of the build.

This summer C G Fry had no less than four site managers awarded ‘Pride in the Job’ for individual sites across as many counties.  These included C G Fry & Son developments by Steve Walker at Poundbury, Dorchester Dorset; Adrian White for Wyndham Place in Tisbury, Wiltshire; David Pillinger, Fern Green in Langport, Somerset and Aubrey Harris for nine new apartments built to PassivHaus Principles with Sovereign Housing Association in Exeter, Devon.

On Friday 24 October 2014 - the eighth ‘Pride in the Job’ regional award ceremony for 2014 took place at the Winter Gardens in Weston-super-Mare to recognise the Seal of Excellence and Regional Winners in the South West. Steve Walker was announced as the South West regional winner in the medium house builder category and was delighted to also be awarded a ‘Seal of Excellence’ for the South West Quadrant, the latest phase of the prestigious Poundbury development C G Fry & Son has been developing with the Duchy of Cornwall since 1993.  The next development phase is the North East Quadrant; a mixed use development includes both residential and commercial with 1200 units remaining to be built.

As regional winner for the medium builder category, Steve will go through to the final Supreme Awards presented at the prestigious gala ceremony in London in January 2015.  The Supreme Award Winners are the overall national winners in each of the five builder categories, selected from the pool of Regional Winners with nine regions.  Steve comments: “It is always an honour to receive recognition through an award particularly from the NHBC.  I couldn’t have done it without the ongoing support of my dedicated team including my colleagues Mike Westcott and Joe Baggs and the hard-working sub-contractors on site.  I am very much looking forward to the Supreme Awards ceremony in January next year.” 

And it’s a double celebration for the Dorchester firm as site manager, Adrian White also won a ‘Seal of Excellence’ at the regional award ceremony for the desirable C G Fry & Son Wyndham Place development in Tisbury, Wiltshire. Kevin Murch ─ Construction Director C G Fry & Son said: “The NHBC ‘Pride in the Job’ award is the highest industry accolade a site manager can receive and we are immensely proud of the achievements of all of our 2014 award-winning site managers at C G Fry developments across four different counties. We are absolutely delighted for Steve and Adrian receiving their individual prestigious awards which are well deserved.  It is also wonderful to be publicly recognised as a company, as it’s the fifth year we’ve won the South West category in the medium builder category.  As a family-owned company, we consistently strive to build the highest quality new homes across the South West with meticulous attention to detail.  This ethos is embraced by each of our individual site managers and their hard-working teams. It is always gratifying to be publicly recognised by a well-respected national body such as the NHBC and the next stage is the exciting national awards being held in London in the New Year.”

www.cgfry.co.uk

New Thatched Cottages Part of Autumn Windfall C G Fry & Son

Independent developer, C G Fry & Son, is offering house buyers assistance to help them move in to their new home at their award-winning Wyndham Place development in Tisbury by Christmas. The C G Fry ‘Autumn Windfall’ offers differing incentives on selected properties for sale at a number of developments across the South West.

New C G Fry & Son thatched cottage at Tisbury, Wyndham Place.

Wyndham Place offers new homes with prices from £240,000, and C G Fry & Son will pay the stamp duty on selected plots subject to legal completion before the 19th December 2014.   This includes a delightful four-bedroom thatched cottage with large kitchen/family room and double garage.

The development on Hindon Lane offers a rare chance to acquire a new and charming home in one of the county’s most appealing rural areas whilst enjoying a contemporary, premier internal specification on all the private dwellings.  Tisbury has been voted as in the top 25 places to live in the UK with good local amenities and road and rail links to the A303 and A30 trunk roads.  The railway station at Tisbury is also on the main line to London Waterloo. 

Adrian White, Site Manager for Wyndham Place was awarded ‘Pride in the Job 2014’ by the National House Building Council, (NHBC).  This award followed on the back of Adrian winning a Quality Award and subsequently a Seal of Excellence for ‘Pride in the Job’ for the same Wiltshire development in 2013.

C G Fry & Son is also offering the ‘Help to Buy’ Equity Loan Scheme at the Tisbury development, which assists first-time buyers and those looking to move up the property ladder to purchase a new-build home. The government-backed initiative was set up to help new and existing home owners to purchase a property with as little as a 5% deposit. 

Caroline Hill, Head of Sales & Marketing C G Fry & Son says: “With the current economic climate, house buyers are finding it more and more difficult to purchase their dream home.  We have listened to our customer’s feedback and wanted to offer this opportunity to help them move quickly and easily into their new home in time for Christmas.  C G Fry is a family-owned company and we want to give a helpful hand to make things easier for our buyers.  It is a fantastic opportunity for purchasers who will need to act straight away to take advantage on our developments across the South West including Wyndham Place in desirable Tisbury which also offers the ‘Help to Buy Scheme’.”

Tisbury estate agents, Arundell James who are marketing the Wiltshire development, announce their recent merger with independent estate agency, Gilyard Scarth established in 1990, which has three offices in Dorset.  The estate agency is keeping the Tisbury office as a shop-front location and continuing to market Wyndham Place on behalf of C G Fry & Son.

www.cgfry.co.uk

Developer Helps House Buyers To Move In To New Homes By Christmas

Award-winning independent developer, C G Fry & Son, is offering house buyers assistance to help them move in to their new home by Christmas.    The autumn windfall includes various offers on selected C G Fry properties for sale at developments across the South West including Hillcrest at Exmouth.

Withycombe House from the gardens

At Hillcrest C G Fry is offering price reductions of up to £50,000 on a number of properties in this unique development, including the majestic and stately Withycombe House set amidst unspoilt gardens and grounds if buyers complete on the purchase on or by the 19^th December 2014. 

A beautifully restored grade II listed period manor house which dates from c.1850, Withycombe House enjoys many unique architectural features.  Originally constructed in a Gothic villa tradition, the unique property has been painstakingly restored to its former glory by the skilled craftsmen from C G Fry & Son with attention to detail   had has been converted to individual, luxurious and spacious homes.  The high ceilings and many beautifully designed windows including Gothic arches reflect this much loved architecture often attributed to castles, palaces, churches and Cathedrals with classic and timeless beauty. 

The £50,000 reduction includes Plot 1, an imposing four-bedroom dual aspect town-house with many authentic features and extensive level south facing gardens and paved patio.  The property retains many of the original features including striking quarry-tiled mosaic floor and sweeping staircase with ornate oak newel posts leading off from the grand main entrance hall.  The restored ‘egg and dart’ cornicing and plaster ceiling roses in the large sitting room add to the feeling of grandeur.  The property has garage and parking. 

Caroline Hill, Head of Sales & Marketing C G Fry & Son says: “With the current economic climate, house buyers are finding it more and more difficult to purchase their dream home.  We have listened to our customer’s feedback and wanted to offer this opportunity to help them move quickly and easily into their new home in time for Christmas.  C G Fry is a family-owned company and we want to give a helpful hand to make things easier for our buyers.  It is a fantastic opportunity for purchasers who will need to act straight away to take advantage on our developments across the South West including the chance to buy a property at the unique Withycombe House.”

www.cgfry.co.uk

Celebrations For New Affordable Housing Scheme In Minehead

There were celebrations in Alcombe, a hamlet in Dunster Parish this week as Magna West Somerset officially opened its latest housing scheme built by independent developer, C G Fry & Son.  The development named Brackensfield comprises 33 homes for rent, with a mix of two, three and four bedroom houses as well as two bedroom bungalows. 

The official ribbon cutting with (L to R) Adam Peat (chairman of Magna Housing Group), Cllr Tim Taylor (leader of West Somerset Council), Graham Colls (group chief executive of Magna) and Tony Murray (Magna West Somerset director)

Children waiting to cut the ribbon

C G Fry & Son built the properties to Level 3 of the Code for ‘Sustainable Homes’ standard.  They are equipped with gas central heating. Michael Dear, commercial director for C G Fry & Son, said: “We are delighted to have been part of this project with Magna West Somerset which will provide much-needed affordable homes to the local community.  The project has gone well and we have enjoyed working with the Magna team.”

The scheme’s completion was marked with a community barbecue for residents and guests with many of the children living in the scheme who were treated to a Punch and Judy show.

West Somerset Council leader, Cllr Tim Taylor, who cut the ribbon to mark the opening.

He said: “West Somerset Council has a long-standing and close relationship with Magna and I am very pleased to see families living happily in these homes.  It’s been fantastic seeing what a great sense of community the residents have here and I think this is partly down to the clever design of the site.  Well done to Magna and the residents.”

Magna Housing Group chairman, Adam Peat, paid tribute to all those involved in the scheme, he said: “We are very proud of the standard of housing achieved and hope everyone will be very happy for many years to come.” Around 770 people ‘bid’ for the rented properties, indicating just how needed the homes are. All were allocated to local residents in housing need through the Homefinder Somerset choice based lettings system.The name ‘Brackensfield’ was suggested by a local resident and approved by West Somerset Council.  

The national Homes and Communities Agency invested £749,000 in the scheme.  The rest of the money came from Magna, partly from borrowing (£2,283,000) and partly from the sale of ten properties which were hard to let or costly to maintain (£723,000).

Independent Building Contractor Wins Multi-awards Across The South West

Independent South West builder C G Fry & Son Limited, well known for their part in the building of the internationally-known and prestigious Poundbury, Dorchester development with The Duchy of Cornwall, has been named as having four winning sites in the ‘Pride in the Job 2014’ awards.  The awards cover four individual developments for the company across the South West for sites based in Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire for which each Individual C G Fry & Son site managers has won a National House Building Council, (NHBC) ‘Pride in the Job 2014’ quality award. 

Back Row – Kevin Murch, Construction Director / Jason Hockey, Contracts Manager / Philip Fry, Managing Director
Front Row – Site Managers: Steve Walker / Aubrey Harris / David Pillinger / Adrian White

The quality awards organised by the National House Building Council (NHBC) for the South West region is the highest industry accolade a site manager can receive.   Having run for 34 years, ‘Pride in the Job’ is the house-building industry's most prestigious awards programme and continues to recognise the UK's best site managers.  *‘Pride in the Job Quality Awards’ and ‘Single Home Commendation Awards’ in the Small, Medium, Large and Multi-Storey builder categories were presented to the best 446 site managers from an initial pool of 15,000. 

Philip Fry, Managing Director C G Fry & Son says: “To have four individual site managers each win a quality award in as many different counties across the region is fantastic and publicly recognises the high standards we are maintaining at C G Fry.   Our mid to long-term business plan formulated ten years’ ago, was to expand and develop into a regional developer whilst maintaining our on-going quality and attention to detail.  Winning four individual awards across the region is a major achievement and is the result of the drive and passion of our valued site managers and their teams. It is always pleasing to be publicly recognised by an independent body such as the NHBC and this prestigious accolade endorses the company’s goals which has now come to fruition and is a reflection of all the hard work by the dedicated staff.”

The regional awards for C G Fry & Son sites include winning site manager Aubrey Harris for an affordable housing project constructed on behalf of Sovereign Housing Association built in Whipton, Exeter to PassivHaus standards and also David Pillinger of Fern Green development in Langport, Somerset.

Aubrey, an air-tightness champion, was the driving force behind the successful completion of the award-winning affordable housing project of nine new apartments in Exeter.  The innovative project was the first of its type for both C G Fry and Sovereign Housing, built to PassivHaus Principles.  Sovereign Housing is well-known for its ethos of making a real difference by making sure the homes they build and the services they provide allow residents to live the best life they can.  It is the first housing association to deliver apartments to PassivHaus Principles on infill land in Exeter. 

With a construction value of £1.1m, funding of £690,140 was made available through Recycled Capital Grant Funding and £124,360 provided by Exeter City Council.  The six, 1-bedroom and three, 2-bedroom flats reached air integrity below the objective of .75 with some test results achieving more than the original expectation. Purely through passive design elements, the new flats at Bevan House, Exeter will use approximately 90% less heating energy when compared to a standard UK building (2010 Building Regulation requirements).

Jason Walker, Sovereign’s Development Officer, says: “C G Fry did an extremely good job in respect to the quality of the build and they exceeded the overall air tightness of the scheme which is a very important aspect in relation to PassivHaus developments.”

Aubrey Harris, site manager C G Fry & Son says: “This is my second award, however my first with C G Fry & Son.  I feel honoured to be publicly recognised as Bevan House was an ambitious project and a very challenging site.  It was absolutely a team effort to get these great results.”

Kevin Murch, Construction Director C G Fry & Son Ltd says: “The NHBC is well-respected in the construction industry which looks at the consistency of good workmanship.  To win these prestigious multi-awards across a number of sites compounds the ongoing demand for a high standard of build and embraces the overall ethos of the company as a whole.  I am particularly proud of Aubrey as it was the first project of its type for both C G Fry & Son and Sovereign Housing and it was delivered at a very high standard. It was extremely challenging build in terms of both design and management which the construction team met head-on.  The turning point was Aubrey getting the team to grasp a new concept of building a very different type of project and move forward.  A fantastic achievement and well deserved.” 

David Pillinger site manager for Fern Green, Langport in Somerset has been with the company for two years and this is his first construction award.   ‘Fern Green' is a development of three and four bedroom homes reflecting the character and charm of rural Somerset.  It is adjacent to the company’s ‘Old Kelways’ site in Huish Episcopi which previously won an NHBC quality award for former site manager, Jason Hockey.

David Pillinger who has worked for two years with C G Fry & Son says: “I am very happy and elated to win this award and it’s a great achievement for the workforce on site as it was a real team effort.  Getting this recognition clearly shows the quality of the sub-contractors we carefully select and the standard of the workmanship and their pride in the job which delivers results.  We give them the tools and time to produce the quality of the standard that C G Fry sets and I am proud that they can they are also being publicly recognised for all their hard work and commitment.”

Kevin Murch, Construction Director C G Fry comments: “I am delighted for David as this is his first award with C G Fry.  It is very well deserved as he and his team are passionate about the delivery of quality work. It is also particularly satisfying as we previously won a NHBC award for Old Kelways so we have two winning sites at Langport.  I want to also take this opportunity to thank Jason Hockey the contracts manager for Fern Green, who has led the team to ensure we have maintained these very high standards.”

www.cgfry.co.uk

Housing Association Unveils Six New Homes In Milton Abbas

The official opening of six new homes at Damer Close, Milton Abbas has been marked by Spectrum Housing Group and North Dorset District Council with a ribbon cutting ceremony carried out by Cllr Su Hunt, Christine Turner, Chairman of Spectrum Premier Homes and Richard Hill, Chief Executive of Spectrum Housing Group.

Ribbon Cutting ceremony  – Christine Turner, chair of Spectrum Premier Homes, Su Hunt, Chair of North Dorset District Council and Richard Hill, Chief Executive of Spectrum Housing Group.

Christine Turner, Chairman of Spectrum Premier Homes, the development subsidiary of Spectrum Housing Group said: “Damer Close has cost just over £1m to build and we are very grateful for funding from the Homes and Communities Agency to the sum of £225,000 and RCGF (Recycled Capital Grant Funding) of £130,000. Spectrum has invested over £650,000.  Providing homes in rural areas is crucial and we are very pleased that we have been able to provide these homes.”

Nominations to the properties were made by North Dorset District council to people with a local connection.

Cllr Su Hunt, Chairman at North Dorset District Council, said: “The original idea for a community led development around Millennium Green has been circulating for at least 10 years but due to a series of practical and financial barriers it’s taken a while to come forward.  North Dorset District Council and Spectrum Housing Group however remained committed to delivering an opportunity for a local needs affordable housing scheme.  This has been designed by a local practice – Western Design- and was supported through the process by Milton Abbas Parish council.

“This finished scheme as you can see now provides 6 families with the opportunity to live in new, well insulated houses provided with generous gardens and wonderful views over this beautiful landscape and represents a successful partnership between parish and district councils as well as Spectrum and their designer.”

Western Design were the architects and Employer’s agent was Ellis Belk for this scheme comprising 4 x 3-bedroom houses and 2 x 2 bedroom houses – providing homes for over 20 people.  They have been built to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 by Dorset-based contractors, C G Fry & Son.

Michael Dear, Commercial Director for C G Fry & Son, said: “We are delighted to have been part of this project with Spectrum, particularly as it is based in our home county of Dorset and will provide much-needed affordable homes to the local community.  For energy savings we installed air source heat pumps with radiators in each of the properties.  The project went well and we enjoyed working with the Spectrum team.”

The National Housing Federation recently ran an awareness week to highlight some of the issues rural housing providers face, with the launch of their report - Rural Housing: Countryside in Crisis, illustrating the impact of the housing crisis in rural areas. It covers affordability and issues with workers and families being priced out, the increase of second homes, fuel poverty and ageing populations. The findings are  available on the National Housing Federation’s website together with an opportunity to support their Yes to Homes campaign.

People are still in the position that they need to earn 13.5 times their salary to afford an average property in North Dorset (NHF Home Truths Report 2013/14) and there are over 1,200 people waiting for a home in the area.

Ends with photo (scheme opening)

For further information please contact:

Tina Partridge at Spectrum Housing Group on 01258 484884 or email: tina.partridge@spectrumhousing.co.uk

Peter Hyde at North Dorset District Council on 01258 484100 or email:

 PHyde@north-dorset.gov.uk

http://www.spectrumhousing.co.uk/ 
http://www.cgfry.co.uk/

Summer party at Poundbury proves a resounding success….

Independent developer C G Fry & Son held an open event at Poundbury which attracted nearly 30 guests.  The purpose of the summer event was to invite people to register their interest for the exciting new phase in the North East Quadrant. 

The Poundbury team decorated the sales office with bunting to give it a summery feel, serving guests with jugs of Pimm’s and fresh strawberries.  The event was organised in conjunction with Poundbury and Dorchester offices of Symonds & Sampson Estate Agents.

Peter Grout-Smith – Manager Symonds & Sampson – Poundbury Office / Sally Noakes – C G Fry & Son Sales / Stuart Phillips – Manager Symonds & Sampson – Dorchester Office 

Sue Findlay / Sally Noakes and Hilary Metcalf – C G Fry & Son Sales Team 

C G Fry & Son has been working with the Duchy of Cornwall on the prestigious Poundbury project since 1993.  Much of the North Eastern Quadrant is based on the urban character and green open spaces key to Poundbury.  Streets and pavement widths are a little wider, drawing inspiration from residential streets in central Dorchester as well as details using Dorset vernacular. 

Caroline Hill, Head of Sales and Marketing C G Fry &Son says: “We had a number of new people who registered their interest to be first in line to be kept informed of the new forthcoming development.  In addition the event attracted existing Poundbury residents who really enjoyed meeting their new neighbours.  It turned into quite a party and was great fun and well received by all the guests.”

To receive updates on the progress of the construction please visit the Poundbury sales team or pre-register your interest on-line: http://www.cgfry.co.uk/info/future+developments

Sales Office is open Monday to Friday 10am – 5pm

Saturday and Sunday 10am – 4pm. 

Tel: 01305 259600. E: poundburysales@cgfry.co.uk  

Somerset Life feature - C G Fry and Son

Click to enlarge 

Much-needed affordable rural homes open in Steppes

Raglan Housing celebrated the creation of much-needed affordable rural housing this month with the official opening of Nine Barrow View, a brand-new development of eight rental properties in Steppes, Langton Matravers, on the Isle of Purbeck. The smart new homes - which are close to the popular seaside town of Swanage and exclusively for local people – built by C G Fry & Son were opened by Richard Drax, Conservative MP for South Dorset.

1. Resident Gemma Gill and son Oscar cut the ribbon at the opening of Nine Barrow view in Steppes (from left): Lisa Sparshott, Raglan Development Officer; Richard Drax MP; Richard Stevenson, Raglan Business Development Director; residents: Gemma and Oscar Gill; Peter Hammond, Raglan Board Member; Cllr Peter White-Langton, Matravers Parish Council; Andy Durant, Contracts Manager, CG Fry and Son; Rebekah Terrell, Raglan Regional Housing Manager

Nine Barrow View, which the housing association has delivered in partnership with Purbeck District Council, Langton Matravers Parish Council and regional contractors C G Fry, was financed by Raglan with an additional £155,000 of grant funding from the Homes and Communities Agency.

Richard Drax MP said: "I was both impressed by the location and standard of these homes, which are much needed in areas like ours. The development was sensitively done, with clearly a lot of thought going into the design of the house and the high grade fittings. What I also liked was the fact there was room for all the families to breathe and take in the glorious view across Purbeck. These homes are an example of what can be achieved if everyone works together and now eight local families have the security of a home in an area they simply could not afford to live in otherwise."

Chronic affordable housing shortage

The scheme with its stunning coastal and countryside views, provides a mix of four two-bedroom flats and two two-bedroom houses each accommodating up to four people; and two three-bedroom houses for up to five people. The homes are all self-contained with their own gardens. The north side of the development has been designed to provide open space and a children’s play area for residents.

“The chronic shortage and high cost of rural housing in the Purbeck area is forcing many families and young people on modest incomes to leave their communities, taking away the labour force which these communities rely on to survive,” said Richard Stevenson, Raglan’s Business Development Director. “There is an urgent need to provide local people with good quality housing within their communities which they can afford. These people are the lifeblood of our villages and hamlets and vital to the long-term survival and sustainability of local businesses, schools, pubs and essential services. Small affordable schemes like Nine Barrow View have a significant role to play in helping to revitalise our countryside villages, create jobs and drive rural economic growth.” 

The new homes have been built to Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes standard and are equipped with gas central heating and gas savers to help keep residents’ overall energy bills as low as possible.

Michael Dear, Commercial Director for C G Fry & Son, said: “We are delighted to have been part of this project with Raglan Housing which will provide much-needed affordable homes to the local community.   In addition to the new houses and flats, we also installed new central heating systems in eight existing properties on the site to bring them up to modern standards. The project has gone well and we have enjoyed working with the Raglan team.”

Councillor Mike Lovell, Housing and Development Spokesperson for Purbeck District Council, said:  “Meeting the housing needs of local people is one of Purbeck District Council’s priorities and this development offers much-needed accommodation in the district."   

“Protecting and enhancing Purbeck’s natural environment is another priority of the council.  The environment which attracts so many visitors to the area also poses challenges for development, with limited opportunities for large scale housing development.  The Council therefore appreciates the contribution schemes of this type make to meet the housing needs of local people and to sustain our communities.”

Nine Barrow View marks the completion of phase two of the affordable housing development which is built on a green field exception site on land directly behind eight existing affordable Raglan homes constructed in 1993. As part of the project, residents in the older properties also had their homes upgraded and made more energy-efficient with the installation of new kitchens and thermally-efficient windows and central heating systems.

Bruce Voss, HCA Area Manager, said: “As the government body responsible for providing affordable housing in England, we know how important these developments are in areas like Purbeck. We’ve worked closely with partners to help them bring forward development on this site and I am sure it will make a huge difference to the local community. It’s a testament to partners’ efforts and great to see the homes completed.” 

Raglan Housing has further local housing developments in nearby Harman’s Cross, Worth Matravers, Studland and Swanage. 

www.cgfry.co.uk 

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www.raglan.org 

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