Yorkshire Housebuilder Sees Success From High-Quality Homes 

We start the New Year with a one-on-one with Nick Moody, co-founder of Newby, who tells us about the new homes his company builds in Yorkshire and the North East, and what potential buyers can expect to find on current and future developments.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and Newby.

Newby was founded in 2008 from the ashes of City Lofts. My co-founder Simon Hepden and I wanted to remain in the residential development business and to continue working together. Newby was born to create high-quality living space with the attention to design detail.

What developments are you busy on right now and what do they offer?

We currently have a number of development sites progressing, two of which are Springfield Court and West House Gardens.

Springfield Court is an exclusive development in the heart of Harrogate which will be launching in February. This is an exclusive development of 61 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with bespoke kitchens and private parking in a secure, gated development.

In addition, we have started work on a joint venture development with Castle Homes in Birstwith. West House Gardens comprises a bespoke selection of 33 luxury homes set in a tranquil setting, overlooking the beautiful Nidderdale Valley. Ranging from three to five bedrooms, each individual property has been carefully designed to allow a spacious and unique living style in the heart of this picturesque countryside.

Do you have an especially popular site at the moment?

All our sites are receiving a high volume of enquiries at the moment for their own unique reasons. Two in particular are Ryedale House and Glasshouses Mill.

Ryedale sits within the heart of York’s historic city walls on Piccadilly, which has a vast number of people either walking or driving past the development. Due to this site being the largest conversion scheme to launch in York for a number of years, we have wanted to keep the finer details a surprise until we unveil the marketing suite at the launch in February. This, alongside its premium location, has led to a large number of enquiries.

Glasshouses Mill is a historic Grade II listed mill conversion set in the idyllic Nidderdale countryside, surrounded by woodland walks, waterscapes and breathtaking views. The mill has been carefully updated to feature 32 luxurious, yet contemporary one- to four-bedroom apartments, cottages and family homes. It is no surprise that this site is so popular and with the mill nearing completion, people can really see the beauty of this building taking shape.

Is there a Newby USP in the design of its homes and the interior layouts and specification?

We pride ourselves on consistently building high-quality properties with an unrivalled specification throughout. It starts with the design, ensuring no detail is overlooked and this is why people trust in our brand and purchase our unique properties.

Are there ways you assist buyers, first time buyers and homeowners to get the home they want?

We always look to help our buyers wherever possible, this can mean working with an interior designer to help furnish their new home without the headache of downsizing and their old furniture not fitting, or offering a Help to Buy scheme to support first-time buyers taking their first step onto the property ladder.

Do you find show homes and special buyer events a vital way to meet serious house-hunters?

We find that people like to be able to walk into the space they are looking to buy wherever possible before they commit to purchasing their property. This isn’t always possible during the build process and therefore having a fully dressed show unit is an inviting way to help a buyer imagine what their new home could look like.

How has the property market in your area been this year and what are your thoughts for the next 12 months?

Brexit is all you hear about now in the news and there is and has been a great deal of uncertainty in the market around this throughout 2018. The key to managing this is to stick with what you know best and for us it is always that focus on quality and attention to detail.

Next year is another busy one for us and we are due to fully launch four development sites to the open market, which is very exciting. These include a mixture of apartments and houses within both York and Harrogate. Springfield Court will be launching in February in the spa town of Harrogate with a total of 61 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments available to reserve. Ryedale House will soon follow as the latest exciting development in York’s city centre, featuring a bespoke collection of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with panoramic views around the centre.

Despite the uncertainty, people will always want to move and with house prices being on the rise for so long, the London home owners are more evidently looking to move out of the city to Yorkshire for better value for money and quality of life, with the added advantage of enjoying excellent commuter links to quickly return to London for work.

Can you tell us about any new developments that are coming up over the next few months?

Two of our more recent developments in the limelight are Quayside West and Cocoa West schemes. Quayside West is a 15-acre vacant site located on the River Tyne in Newcastle. Our vision is to create a brand new urban community of up to 1,500 residential units, including commercial space.

Cocoa West is a brownfield site to the west of the former Nestlé factory building in York. Newby is working closely with the council and Nestlé, as well as local stakeholders to secure the planning to deliver 425 much-needed new houses and apartments, with associated open space, parking and community facilities and ancillary commercial uses.