First Residents Meet At Newent Scheme

The first buyers at a brand new community in the Forest of Dean have been on site to meet their soon-to-be neighbours and watch the final touches being made to their new homes.

An unprecedented number of people have registered their interest in the homes now under construction at Merlin Gate, on the edge of Newent, where the doors to the brand new show homes have recently opened.

Seven couples were invited on site to celebrate this major milestone as local housebuilder David Wilson Homes works to complete their new homes, with several due to complete in time for Christmas.

More than 1,000 people have signed up to receive updates on the Forest of Dean development and nine homes have already been sold, even before the show homes opened. An average of 350 people are week are registering their interest in David Wilson Homes developments across Gloucestershire including Great Oldbury, Stonehouse, and Rosewood Grange, Hardwicke, in addition to Merlin Gate.

This strong demand for new homes has been seen across the South West with more than double the number of people registering their interest in a David Wilson or Barratt Home compared to two years ago. More than 1,000 people a week have been signing up for updates on developments this year, compared to 700 a week in 2019.

One couple who joined the gathering at Merlin Gate were James and Lizabeth Guy, whose family live close by to the new community. Talking about their future home, James said: “We're both really looking forward to moving into our new home, especially as our daughter and two grandchildren live so close by and will just be two fields away from us. It will be great to be just around the corner from them.”

Merlin Gate is a new community of 230 homes being built by housebuilders Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes in the Forest of Dean. A total of 138 of the homes are being built for private sale, 79 of which are from David Wilson Homes and 59 from Barratt Homes. A further 92 homes – 40% of the total – will be affordable homes.

Named in celebration of the neighbouring International Centre for Birds of Prey, the new development will offer a range of two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom homes, along with two new play areas and large areas of public open space. Over 100 new trees are being planted on and around the site, which is within walking distance of the historic town centre of Newent and a short walk away from nearby Newent Lake.

Louise Ware, sales director for David Wilson Homes' South West division, said: “We were delighted to welcome our first home-owners to Merlin Gate to celebrate and have a sneak preview inside the brand new show homes, which officially opened this week. As well as a chance to get excited about what life will be like in their new homes, which our first residents will be able to move into for Christmas, they were also able to meet their soon-to-be neighbours, helping to build a sense of community from the start.”

Find out more about Merlin Gate from David Wilson Homes.

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