Satisfying The Demand For Quality Homes In The East Midlands

We catch up with Glyn Mabey, MD of Partnerships East Midlands at Countryside, the mixed-tenure residential developer, about their design-led new build homes.

Countryside talks about its new homes as being design-led; what does this mean to the buyer?

Design-led homebuilding ensures a certain level of ‘future-proofing’. Buying a property is the biggest financial commitment a buyer will make, so it’s the sustainability that comes from our design-led approach that our homeowners value most.

Our designers are continually developing innovative home layouts that cater to the ways in which people use each room in their home. Customer feedback plays a crucial role and is at the core of the design process for every home that we create. It’s this informed approach that has enabled us to not only create practical and modern home layouts, but also more sustainable properties that keep carbon emissions as low as possible.

Countryside has just expanded its partnerships model into the East Midlands, can you tell us a bit about how this works?

The recent opening of our Leicester office was a significant step for the East Midlands business, as it cemented our expansion into the region. We’ve since gone from strength-to-strength with the starting of several new sites and more in the pipeline. In the last 12 months we have secured planning and/or contracted on over 1,000 plots in the region.

Furthermore, the acquisition of Westleigh last year provided us with a unique opportunity to combine Westleigh’s outstanding regional knowledge with Countryside’s leading mixed-tenure business model, and we’re really proud of the results this has achieved so far. During our very short time in the region we’ve already achieved some notable milestones, including our involvement in the ambitious Newark expansion which is seeing the creation of an entirely new neighbourhood for the area, called Middlebeck.

The Boulevard, Middlebeck

Why have you chosen to launch this in the East Midlands at this time?

There’s a demand for new, high-quality, family housing throughout the East Midlands, which became even more apparent following the successful launch of our West Midlands regional business in 2018. Expanding into the East Midlands was a natural next step, and we have also opened South Midlands and Yorkshire operations as the growth continues apace.

What do you see as being the main priorities of young, first-time buyers in the area?

We’re seeing a growing trend in young buyers wanting homes that they can stay in long-term. With the average first-time buyer age being around 30-years-old, they’re looking for family homes rather than starter homes. This is a huge consideration when catering for first-time buyers in 2020.

We’ve also witnessed an increasing appetite for more quality homes within safe and thriving communities, which are well connected to nearby cities through fantastic transport links. Therefore, location is key for all of our developments. Plus, we pride ourselves on our luxury specification, so our first-time buyers are getting the quality homes they want, at affordable prices and within up-and-coming areas.

Will your new homes be offering any incentives to buyers such as Part Exchange or Help To Buy?

Absolutely. We aim to offer our customers support and guidance from the moment they step through our door. The majority of our Midlands homes are available through the government’s Help to Buy scheme, as well as our own Part Exchange initiative, which allows our customers to reserve their new Countryside home now without the stress of selling their existing one.

In addition to these, we have an Assisted Move scheme which offers a start-to-finish service for buyers looking to sell their current homes hassle-free, fast and without compromise (it’s also available with Help to Buy).

How is the local property marketing performing at the moment?

As a nation, we’ve found ourselves in a very unusual situation as of late. However, the appetite for new homes within the East Midlands region remains – people still need a place to call home. Housing shortages have long been an issue across the UK and we’re determined to ensure that we help fill the gap.

The Boulevard, Mddlebeck

Countryside talks about its focus on placemaking and regeneration – how do you work with local communities to achieve this?

Whilst new to the East Midlands, Countryside has over 60 years’ experience in placemaking and regeneration nationwide, particularly with large-scale, mixed-tenure communities. This simply could not have been achieved without the support of the local communities and our Local Authority partners. It’s this two-way communication that enables us to truly get to know the areas that we work within and we have a number of teams that work collaboratively to ensure communication channels remain open; from our marketing collateral to arranging health and safety talks with local schools. The lasting benefits of these relationships are vast, from the increased availability of affordable housing to invaluable financial contributions towards vital services, such as local healthcare, public transport and education.

In your view, what does it take to build a successful community for people to live in?

For me, it’s about fully understanding what the existing community both wants and needs. Our ‘places people love’ ethos is at the core of everything that we do here at Countryside, so working closely with our neighbours means that we can take the time to understand the needs of the families for whom we’re building. This, combined with strong relationships with local councils, housing associations and PRS providers, ensures that we can successfully cater to the growing demand for new homes. Our aim has always been to create houses that buyers are proud to call home.

And finally, what’s next for Countryside in 2020?

We already have a number of developments in the pipeline for the next 12 months, throughout the region, so watch this space!