High Density Schemes And Eco-Friendly Living

Benjamin Hunter, founder of LH1 Global, explains why ‘high density’ building can be the way to go, with an eye on ‘ultra-sustainable’ building methods for eco-friendly living...

Ben, LH1 Global delivers what it calls ‘’high density, prime located residential developments to an International audience’’. At the start of 2023, how’s business?

We’ve had a fantastic start to 2023. We kicked off January by securing a number of sales at The Residence, a grand collection of stylish one and two-bedroom apartments within a renovated Regency-style, Grade II listed building in the heart of Cheltenham. On the market for only a matter of weeks, the project is now over 50% sold, which is a great achievement by the team at LH1 Global and testament to the quality of the homes delivered by the developer. We are also down to the last few apartments at another development in Woolwich, The One, which due to their excellent location we expect them to be fully sold fairly quickly. We’re also in the midst of planning a number of new launches at some exciting new projects in Manchester and Leeds, so watch this space!

Where would you consider to be the top three prime locations for residential property in the world at the moment?

The UK will always be one of the most coveted locations for property in the world, largely due to the quality of homes on offer, the amount of regeneration planned across the major cities and the market’s ability to remain buoyant no matter what is happening politically or economically. The Middle East and Asia are two other markets that have an extraordinary prime property offering. In fact, we recently opened an office in Dubai due to the growing demand from international developers to support them with our unique sales and marketing model on new projects they are looking to launch across these regions and further afield.

Going back to the new Regency-style development in Cheltenham, is it appealing to potential buyers from further afield or doing well with local purchasers?

Due to its style and location The Residence, Cheltenham, has attracted an interesting mixture of end user buyers looking for a spacious high-quality home in the town, whilst there have also been domestic investors, and some international, attracted by the burgeoning rental market, which benefits from the busy event calendar. The races always attract visitors from far and wide and it’s more or less guaranteed income every year, whilst Cheltenham is also considered the gateway to the Cotswolds, so there is a lot of holiday tourism.

With the current shortage of new homes available, do you feel that building ‘high density’ schemes is the way forward to meet demand?

Yes, in a nutshell. Especially, in the cities and large towns across the UK where there is not a lot of land and sites are tight, it makes sense to build up. We pride ourselves on working with developers that favour quality over quantity, but it’s possible to enjoy both and it’s an aspect of development we feel we are good at. The key element today is placemaking, if you can ensure a new development, no matter how large, contributes to its surroundings and enhances the area, whilst providing much-needed homes then it can only be a positive step in trying to get a grip on the current housing crisis.

As a company, do you prefer to work with old buildings and repurpose them for a new audience, or do you like to create new homes from scratch that are fit for modern day living?

We work with a wide range of developers and across all types of developments. We like the challenge of marketing and selling a building or site that has been restored or brought back to life, whilst there is also something special about brand new homes that we can give an identity to. There are slightly different buyer demographics for both period conversion homes and new-builds, but essentially what you are selling is the same; an excellent place to live in a prime town/city centre location.

What are the latest building methods you’re seeing that promote sustainability and eco-friendly living at home?

Interestingly, we’ve just sold out at a highly sustainable development in Ashford, Kent (New Town by Pascoe Homes) and there were some really interesting building methods and finishes that made it so eco-friendly.

The design of the development followed the Helical Piling method, which ensures a design life of 75-years compared to the industry average 25-years produced by traditional methods – this is something we feel will become more common in years to come. The ultra-sustainable model uses 100% recycled steel, which is infinitely recyclable, with a sustainable steel bial foundation system that ensures the ground is protected and doesn’t contaminate the land with acidic content.

Internally, the homes featured triple glazed windows assuring U-value for energy saving potential, which has provided long-term savings on energy bills – a very important element in the current climate.

And in terms of interior trends and fitouts at your schemes, how do these differ around the UK?

In recent years, there has been a real increase in quality in new developments across the UK. Buyers’ requirements and expectations of the interior layouts, design, communal spaces and overall offering of a development have increased significantly. This has been fuelled in part by the amount of competition on the market and this means that developers have to continuously up their game to stand out to prospective purchasers.

What’s next for LH1 Global later this year?

We’ve got a very exciting year ahead of us, both domestically and internationally. I’m spearheading the overseas arm from our Dubai office and we’re looking forward to working on some spectacular developments in exciting locations. Domestically, we will continue to raise the bar for both ourselves and our clients. We have some fantastic new developments coming to market and we’re excited to reveal them to our extensive network of buyers.

And finally, what advice would you give to new homebuyers who are wavering amidst the economic uncertainty at the moment?

Don’t be too influenced by the negativity and listen to your gut. Talk of massive price drops and a property market crash are wide of the mark. There is certainly going to be an adjustment in prices and challenges along the way, but from what we’ve seen at the beginning of the year is that there is still huge demand for good quality homes, so if you want to get on the market then make sure you’ve done your homework on where you want to live and are across what is available within your budget and go for it.