Larkfleet Homes shortlisted for Building 'Housebuilder of the Year' award.

Larkfleet Homes has been shortlisted in the 'Housebuilder of the Year' category for the Building Awards 2016.

Having already been given two Housebuilder of the Year awards in other schemes this year, the team is delighted to be in the running for a hat-trick in the same category.

Karl Hick, CEO of Larkfleet Homes, said: "We are very pleased to be shortlisted in the Housebuilder of the Year category. The Building Award is an all-embracing, holistic award that looks thoroughly at the entire business, from our operations to our research and development methods.  In this instance, the shortlist comprises a number of well-regarded, large construction businesses and we are proud to have Larkfleet's name amongst them.

"This year has seen us expand our geographical reach to include two new brands, Larkfleet Homes South West and Larkfleet Homes Norfolk and Suffolk. These new brands join our existing and established brands Larkfleet Homes, Larkfleet Exclusives, The Croft, Allison Homes and Allison Luxury Homes.

"We have invested substantially into our research and development programmes over the past few years and this continues to focus on sustainable house building and development.  Recently we have invested in a number of community based projects, which include the development of the Larkfleet Community Fund and sponsorship of the Greater Peterborough University Technical College, and this year we have made our first payments from the Community Fund and undertaken our first events at the college.  It is these initiatives that have brought us to the attention of the judges.

“To be on the shortlist for the Builders Awards is an honour in itself and we look forward to the presentation event in November."

Run by Building magazine and now in their 21st year, the Building Awards are recognised as one of the most well respected networking events in the built environment calendar and, this year, will take place on 8 November.

Personalise your new home at Bourne Heights at our expense

We are offering new home buyers £1,000 to personalise their new home at our latest development, Bourne Heights, based in the pretty Lincolnshire town of Bourne.

Reserve your new 2, 3, 4 or five bedroom home now and take advantage of our offer to make your home your own.

Bourne Heights offers a range of house styles including the two bedroom Towcester, the three bedroom Windsor, Chester and Newbury, the four bedroom Redcar, Kelso and Warwick and the five bedroom Cheltenham and Musselburgh.  Each is perfectly laid out for modern living, including open plan kitchen and dining areas, master bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and - to help keep on-going bills down - solar panels are fitted as standard.

Contact Maureen or Jackie to book a viewing on 07825 275820.

Free flooring with our house of the week at Gretton Valley

Gretton Valley is one of our latest developments.  It is part of the parkland development, Priors Hall Park, which is an exciting new community on the outskirts of Corby.  Gretton Valley is set within the 1,200 acres of Priors Hall Park which has wonderful open spaces complete with cycle paths, walking routes and recreational areas.

Our house of the week is Plot 109, the Chelmsford.

This three bedroom, town house style terrace benefits from a large family room, separate utility space and a home office/study area.  The second floor has a large and modern kitchen/dining space and a family room with double doors opening on to a balcony.  The three bedrooms and family bathroom can be found on the top floor and include a large master bedroom complete with its own ensuite. 

If you reserve this very special new home this week, we will provide you with all the flooring.*

Gretton Valley is perfectly placed for commuters heading to Peterborough, Coventry, Spalding, Corby, Market Harborough and Kettering as well as those going further afield to London, Luton and Bedford.

For those with families, there is a nursery, primary school and secondary school all within a one-mile radius, so the 'school run' need never be a chore again!

Corby itself is just a short trip away offering shopping, nightlife and a theatre that has a regularly-changing programme of live drama, dance, music, stand-up comedy and film. Because it is a relatively newly-developed town, the main roads and railways into and around the area are outstanding and the town is within two hours travel of four major airports - Birmingham, Luton, Stansted and East Midlands.

*Terms and conditions apply.

Larkfleet supports new skatepark in Bourne

The new Dimension Skate Park in Bourne has been supported by Larkfleet Homes as we recently funded the drilling of five bore holes and their subsequent analysis.

The bore holes are part of the requirements of the planning process and are vital to assess the soil suitability and structure.  A trial survey of the soil types and water table has been carried out to make sure the proposed site is viable and these results will go forward as part of the planning application.

This project is being undertaken by volunteers who are keen to see the skate park take shape.  For those interested in finding out more about the project, you can do so on the group Facebook page - Bourne Dimension Skatepark

We are celebrating! We are 'House Builders of the Year.'

Last week, Larkfleet Homes won the Housebuilder of the Year title at the Construction News Awards.

The whole team was obviously delighted, particularly as the judges recognised our engagement with the communities in which we work and our commitment to sustainable development.

The judges praised a number of initiatives, including the Larkfleet Community Fund.  This fund is the brainchild of our CEO, Karl Hick, and offers up to £500 for each house built for sale on the open market to be put towards creating communities and integrating new housing developments with existing communities. We estimate this fund could pay out £500,000 over the next five years to local groups and initiatives.
Our passion for supporting local areas through apprenticeship and graduate recruitment programmes and through our support for local colleges and sponsorship of the Greater Peterborough University Technical College was admired.

The judges also complimented our research into developing new homes to overcome flood risk - an idea which we hope will permit the development of land that is currently unsuitable for housing.

In fact, they said: "Larkfleet's commitment to, and passion for, research and development was disproportionately high for the size of the business."

This latest award follows our trophy for 'Small Housebuilder of the Year’ from the national HouseBuilder awards that we were presented with earlier this year.

In the photo above from the awards ceremony are, from left to right: Paul Adams (director of The Larkfleet Group of Companies), Karl Hick (chief executive of The Larkfleet Group of Companies) with the award, Helen Hick and Adrian Evans (joint managing directors of Larkfleet Homes) and awards event host Kevin Bridges.

Larkfleet supports local charity, Anna's Hope

Anna's  Hope is a Peterborough-based charity which offers support and information to parents and children with brain tumours.

The charity was inspired by Anna Olivia Hughes, who tragically died from a brain tumour aged only three years and eight months, and was set up by Anna's parents Rob and Carole Hughes and her five godparents in October 2006. It provides a specialist children’s neuro oncology nurse who works closely with children and their families throughout their treatment at the Children’s Cancer Unit at Addenbrookes Hospital and helps coordinate support at home and school.

Anna's  Hope is also a founding partner of a pioneering new service called Brainbow which is a partnership between Anna's Hope, Addenbrookes Hospital, Camille’s Appeal and Tom’s Trust. Between them they provide the specialist rehabilitation therapy at the hospital through the Anna’s Hope therapy team which consists of specialist physiotherapists, specialist speech and language therapists and a specialist occupational therapist.

As a result of this joint service, every child in the East of England diagnosed with a brain tumour can receive dedicated neuro rehabilitation to help them reach their full potential in life.

The Larkfleet Group of Companies was delighted to be able to support the charity's work with a cheque for £2,400 - seen in the picture being handed over to Carole Hughes (centre) by Larkfleet Homes joint managing directors Adrian Evans and Helen Hick.

It's official! Peterborough is one of the greatest places to live and work in the UK!

Research just published reports that Peterborough is one of the UK's greatest places to do business!

As one of the top five cities in which to work (beaten to the top spot by near neighbour Cambridge) the research confirms that Peterborough has one of the most dynamic and fastest growing business environments in the UK.

The list was compiled using data weighting three factors equally: how easy it is to get a job (hiring opportunity), how affordable it is to live there (cost of living), and how satisfied employees are working there (overall job satisfaction). It was produced by recruitment firm Glassdoor.

Steve Bowyer, chief executive of economic development company Opportunity Peterborough, said

“World-leading businesses call our city home and we have some of the most dynamic and fast-growing sectors creating great jobs here. This accolade reflects well on local companies, the city’s growth aspirations and the excellent quality of life on offer to residents.”

This is a fantastic endorsement of Peterborough and its economic vitality. We’ve always said Peterborough is a great place to do business, this research confirms it’s a great place to live and work too.

Starting from scratch

Your living room, lounge, sitting room, or whatever you choose to call it, is usually the room you spend most of your leisure time in.  Whether you are watching TV, relaxing, reading, chatting with family or friends it needs to adapt to fit your needs.  This can make it one of the trickiest rooms to decorate and furnish as there are so many functions you need to think about.

If you’re starting completely from scratch with a blank canvas, as you would be in your new Larkfleet home, it can be a bit daunting.  Firstly you should first think about where the fixed elements of your room are – the fireplace, the plug sockets, TV aerial port, the phone socket, the windows and doorways for instance.  Once you know, you can place your furniture to suit.

Use your fire place as a your main focal point

You need to think of the make up of your family and make sure you have enough seating to accommodate everyone who will be using the room on a regular basis.  You can use clever seating such as window seats or small but comfy chairs to help make up numbers, rather than cramming the largest sofa you can into the space!

Linking your colour scheme draws your room together

Once you have your furniture chosen, you will usually lead you on to your colour scheme and you can work on how you will link this together.  You might want a traditional room or a contemporary feel.  Either way you can cleverly use mirrors, accessories, cushions and throws, glass and plants to make the spaces feel larger and warmer. 

Free and easy eco actions!

Larkfleet Homes has sponsored its own version of Eco Actions, the card game with the clever environmental twist!  Mirroring everyone's family favourite game, trumps, find out what you can do to help the environment whilst you beat your opponent to become eco action trump champion!

Eco Action energy vampires

Here is what we learned from the cards today.  Did you know that around 8 per cent of household electricity is wasted by leaving machines on standby?  To make sure you are not paying for unused and unnecessary electricity, turn off your gadgets and appliances once you have finished using them.

Turn off and save!

The packs are available in the showhomes of each of our developments - free of charge - to Larkfleet home buyers. We hope that this fun way of picking up some energy-saving tips will help residents to cut their energy bills while keeping their new homes warm and well lit.

Let's get together this summer!

Showing off a new garden gives you the perfect opportunity to meet new friends and neighbours. 

A beautifully-designed garden is as important as a stunning interior. After all, our gardens frame our homes and contribute to first impressions of our new home.

Options for garden designs can be as elaborate or low maintenance as your lifestyle and preferences permit.  However, there are some basics to consider:

Position
It is worth checking which way your garden faces and where the areas of shade and full sun are.  This helps you plan your planting and seating areas.  Which way your seating is facing and where it is situated is vital.  You need to consider if you are looking for totally secluded seating areas, social seating with plenty of space for everyone, or just individual loungers for the sun worshipers of the family.

View
Are you looking for a far reaching view or can you situate your plants and seating areas to give a more inclusive feel?  Do you need to take care with your planting so you do not obscure a view or should you be looking for plants which create a more private and secluded feel?

Shelter
We all need shelter from wind, sun and rain.  Should you be considering awnings, overhung terraces or large, solid hedges or fencing to help you feel more secluded?

Gadgets!
It's fun to think through what you might use your garden for?  Will you work outside in the summer?  If so, does your WiFi reach?  Do you like music on?  If so, you may need suitable electrical sockets. Perhaps you fancy some external lighting or feature lighting or maybe you want to install some heating devices!

Planting
You will need to take into account the type of soil you have before you start any planting scheme.  Some plants will thrive and others will hate it.  A quick check solves any expensive mistakes!  If you have young children or animals, it is well worth checking if plants or any resulting berries are poisonous.  Other things to consider are tactility, scent and texture. 

Building societies compete over 10-year fixed rate mortgage deals

Recently a number of building societies announced their lowest ever mortgage rates.  As reported by Eastern New Homebuyer, Friday saw The Coventry Building Society launch the lowest ever 10-year fixed rate mortgage.  It is offering a 2.39 per cent fixed-rate loan to borrowers with a 50 per cent deposit.  

Gretton Valley, one of Larkfleet's latest developments

This new deal undercuts the latest offer from HSBC which was also announced last week.  HSBC is offering a 10-year fixed rate deal at 2.79 per cent up to 70 per cent loan to value.

As Eastern New Homebuyer goes on to report, although this is great news, new home buyers should still take the whole package into account before making up their minds.

Larkfleet Homes supports Bourne school

Larkfleet Homes will be supporting the newly built Bourne Elsea Park Academy Primary School this Friday as it holds its annual school summer fair.  The school is situated close to Larkfleet's Bourne Heights development.

This week's summer fair will be held on Friday from 3.15 - 5.15 pm at the school. Larkfleet has donated a number of prizes for the raffle (see photo).

Bourne Heights is perfect for growing families. It has a good mix of two, three, four and five bedroom new homes in a number of styles. 

It is bordered by unspoiled fens and magnificent ancient woodlands, all of which are within easy access via the special cycle and pedestrian paths which run through this new development.  The site also has plans for new local shops, play areas and sports facilities. 

Bourne Heights is near to a fantastic selection of local amenities including a leisure centre, theatre, cafes and restaurants, plus the twice weekly town market and independent and national retailers.