Barratt David Wilson’s managing director, Adam Knight, tells us about their exciting Darwin Green scheme in Cambridge and how it will create a wide range of lifestyle facilities for everybody to enjoy…
Is there anything like a typical day as managing director of Barratt David Wilson Cambridgeshire?
There is truly nothing like it. In a typical day I could be dealing with anything from sales to construction to marketing, no two days are the same, but it never gets boring.
Tell us about your Darwin Green scheme in Cambridge.
As this is our flagship development, we wanted to create a brand new community which will bring something different to the area. The scheme incorporates a whole host of amenities and facilities that we will be building on the site here in Cambridge.
This includes a public library and Central Park, health centre, community room, reading gardens, retail units, and potential supermarkets. Once this is complete, Darwin Green will be a hive of activity not only with residents, but with the wider community too.
Apartments at Darwin Green start from £375,000
Houses at Darwin Green start from £574,995
Help to Buy is available
Find out more about Darwin Green in Cambridgeshire
Darwin Green features The Square and Central Park within the scheme; they both offer incredible facilities to residents – what’s there?
The Square is a place for residents and the wider community to truly relax, so that they can really strike an idyllic work-life balance that we all search for. The Central Park will offer the community over 15 acres of open space with peaceful footpaths, multi-use games areas plus football pitches and a sports pavilion so there is something for the whole family here. This will be a fantastic space to encourage people in the area to keep fit and active.
How important was it for the Darwin Green scheme to interact with the local Cambridge community and how have you achieved this through the build?
It is always very important for us, as a leading developer, to build a relationship with the wider community where we are building. We have done this through hosting events at the development showing people around the soon-to-be thriving community and luxury homes that we are building here. We plan to host many more events whilst building here and once complete, so that the local community all get a chance to experience Darwin Green.
We have also recently sponsored Eddington Football Club, to encourage more youngsters to keep doing what they love or get into something new, this has allowed them to carry on hosting matches and training sessions for young people in the area.
Who do you think these apartments will appeal to?
The Barratt Homes apartments boast stylish and contemporary living ideal for first-time buyers wanting to get onto the property ladder. The apartments have been designed with a spacious open plan living area perfect for entertaining or relaxing after a long day, they also have allocated parking spaces making them perfect for a range of buyers. Offering an ideal commute to Cambridge and cities further afield, we’ve also found these to be popular with executive couples.
Do Barratt and David Wilson Homes offer any incentives to purchasers?
We offer a range of incentives and schemes for homebuyers including the government-backed Help to Buy scheme, Part Exchange and our bespoke Movemaker scheme which have all proven extremely popular with customers across the country.
At Darwin Green we are also offering incentives such as upgraded appliances and flooring packages in some homes so that customers can personalise their luxury property.
What are the latest environmentally-friendly features coming through in new builds at the moment?
We design all of our new properties to be more energy efficient than homes of the years gone by. This means that our homes are more environmentally friendly, creating a greener future and so that our customers are able to keep their living costs down. We use efficient cavity wall and loft insulation and modern double glazing, and we also install energy efficient lighting and appliances as standard.
This means that our homes are up to 55% more energy efficient than those who were built years earlier meaning that on the apartments at Darwin Green homebuyers could save up to £1,300 per year on their energy bills.
What else is in the pipeline for Barratt David Wilson this year?
With the first phase successfully underway here at Darwin Green, we will be looking to release more luxury homes on future phases here and complete the development and the Darwin Green scheme for the whole community to enjoy throughout the year.
David Wilson Homes Cambridgeshire is also building at nearby Northstowe community in Lonstanton, which is Cambridgeshire’s new town. Steeped in local history, it has an identity that is entirely unique and one that promotes health and wellbeing.
You’ve said that you consider it the duty of developers to contribute to the communities in which they work, can you tell us a bit more about this?
As we are a five-star homebuilder, and have been for 10 years running now, we have a duty to help and support the communities where we are building. You can see this through our Community Fund scheme, working to donate money to local charities and organisations to keep the local people and community flourishing and doing what they love, or helping people in that area.
We are committed to creating a positive legacy and want to lead the industry, not just in the quality of our homes and developments but also in our work with charities, organisations and good causes.
And finally, what’s the most important piece of advice you can offer to somebody looking to buy a new home?
I would encourage anyone looking to buy a new home to do their research. They should think about the cost of the finances by visiting a financial advisor which we have on hand at Barratt and David Wilson Homes. They should also make sure they go and visit the whole development, area and home that they wish to purchase to make sure that they are familiar with them. Our beautiful show homes are a great place to start where potential homebuyers can view the quality and style of homes at the development, get a feel for the quality of luxury homes that we build and gain design inspiration for their brand new house.