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Crest Nicholson launches a new £600m project for a garden village in Berkshire

Posted 24 June 2016 by Keith Osborne

The award-winning national housebuilder officially unveils plans to build 2,000 homes and supporting amenities on a former military site...

With the government moving forward with plans to introduce a new range of garden villages to key sites across the country, award-winning developer Crest Nicholson has formally announced its plans for Arborfield Green, one such community to be created on a former garrison site in Berkshire.

The £600m development is due to take 12-15 years to complete and will bring 2,000 new homes together with new public space, new primary and secondary schools, a library, gym, retail and hospitality units and a new community centre. Off-plan sales for the site, four miles south-west of Wokingham, started in May 2016 though selling agent Haslams. The first properties are due for completion this autumn.

This project is the first partnership between Crest Nicholson and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), the estates arm of the Ministry of Defence. The two parties have subsequently partnered up for another similar development near St Ives in Cambridgeshire, a £1bn scheme on the former RAF Wyton.

In addition to the wide range of new homes that will be built, Arborfield Green will bring a host of benefits to this corner of Berkshire, including road improvements, new bridleways and footpaths, new cycle routes and three acres of new play areas. A new linear park will run the length of the site and a new meadow to bring some biodiversity to the site. Some £37m will be spent on two new schools and up to £5m on new community facilities, including the restoration and re-purposing of two former military buildings.

Chris Tinker, board director at Crest Nicholson, says: “We are excited to be launching our latest regeneration project, a multimillion pound 2,000-unit scheme on the site of a former garrison. The development will create much needed new homes and community space for the local area, as well as new jobs, retail and hospitality units to boost the local economy. Arborfield Green will follow the design and community philosophies of the Garden City movement, however tailored to a more rural village scale and character.”

“The project is a long-term partnership and we are working closely with the DIO, Wokingham Borough Council and key local stakeholders to ensure a smooth delivery on site, allowing early investment in infrastructure and ultimately increasing land value and best value for taxpayers.”

Find out more at www.crestnicholson.com/arborfieldgreen/


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