Larkfleet goes electric with Zoe at Rutland new homes development
The Lincolnshire-based housebuilder Larkfleet Homes has installed a charging point for electric cars at Leighfield Park in Oakham, which is currently being developed by the company. Leighfield Park is the first phase of Oakham Heights, Larkfleet's major urban expansion of Oakham, located on land between the Oakham bypass and Barleythorpe Road.
The scheme, which offers traditionally styled two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom properties starting from £149,995, is primarily aimed at families looking for a home that allows them to enjoy rural life whilst still benefiting from good transport links to surrounding towns and cities.All 143 properties at Leighfield Park will have solar PV (photovoltaic) panels fitted as standard so homebuyers can benefit from reduced energy bills. They will also all have access to the new onsite electric car charging point.
The housebuilding firm forms part of the Larkfleet Group, which also includes companies involved with building supplies and renewable energy. Larkfleet Group is testing an electric car with a view to adding more electric vehicles to its fleet. The group has already installed electric vehicle charging points outside its offices in Bourne and Market Deeping. It has also supplied and installed public charging points for other organisations - most recently installing one in a car park in Oakham for Oakham Town Council.
Ian Greenfield, director of Larkfleet Group Eco Building Products, which has installed most of these points, says: "The network of charging points for electric vehicles is expanding all the time. It has now reached the stage where users can be almost as confident of finding a charging point when they need one as readily as drivers of petrol-fuelled vehicles can be sure of finding a filling station.
"Analysis of our vehicle use at Larkfleet Group suggests that we could replace many of our current vehicles with electric cars, significantly reducing the environmental impact of our travel. So we decided the time had come to undertake a detailed experiment to put that analysis to the test."
The group has acquired a Renault Zoe vehicle on loan from the car maker to use over the next few weeks. It will then be in a position to decide on its future vehicle policy. It has already committed to purchasing an electric van from Renault to undertake local deliveries.
The four-seater Zoe has a range of up to 120 miles when fully charged and can be recharged in as little as 30 minutes.
Greenfield adds: "Larkfleet is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its own operations whilst also, through the products and services we provide, allowing our customers to do the same. In everything we do - from fitting high levels of insulation in houses built by Larkfleet Homes to the large-scale development of solar electricity PV parks by Lark Energy - our group companies are focused on delivering both environmental and economic benefits for our customers."