The world’s most sustainable residential tower is coming to Hemel Hempstead

Sales are already strong on a property development that is being promoted as setting a new standard for eco-friendly living, with a variety of apartments still available at The Beacon in Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire.

The developer behind the scheme says the innovative tower will use a number of techniques to offer “free energy for life” to residents of the 17-storey building. A choice of studio and one-/two-/three-bedroom apartments at The Beacon, now at the off-plan stage, are being offered from £217,950. Sales at the 272-unit scheme are already strong.

Ambi Singh, commercial director of Lumiere Developments, says: “The Beacon is the result of a number of years of extremely hard work by everyone at Lumiere and our partners in the design and planning, to deliver the world’s most sustainable residential tower.

“Sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do and we wanted to marry emission-free renewable technologies with simple yet effective energy conservation strategies to create a zero-emission development that is truly world class in its architectural design, engineering and specification.

“We want residents to feel like they are part of a community and to truly enjoy their living environment. At the same time we want apartments to be as cost-effective as possible whilst ensuring a positive environmental impact on their locality.”

The building will combine several energy-saving elements including photovoltaic cells, triple and quadruple glazing, mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems and rainwater harvesting, and will also host hire schemes for electric bikes and cars, as well as having the UK’s largest underground automated robotic car park, for 319 vehicles.

The developer is offering luxury lifestyle in addition to the energy saving, with glass lifts transporting residents up and down a central atrium, a café and bar area, sky garden, gym, club lounge and cinema room among the exclusive amenities for those living in the tower. This is all included in a subsidised annual management fee of approximately £1,580.

The specification includes highly efficient kitchen appliances, smart-controlled thermostats, comfort cooling and stylish kitchen units and bathrooms. Premium apartments also come equi[pped with hot tubs and winter gardens.

“Buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of the world’s harmful emissions and the World Health Organisation quotes air pollution as the number one risk to human health responsible for seven million premature deaths worldwide,” adds Singh. “Hence, it is our mission to promote large-scale uptake of emission-free renewable energy generation and simple energy conservation technologies within residential new-builds and old stock to significantly reduce emissions and by default help save lives.

“Using The Beacon as a blueprint for zero-carbon residential development, we will be rolling out this unique mixture of sustainable technology and building practice across our future projects and ultimately hope that we inspire other developers to build significantly more high-quality sustainable homes across the property spectrum from affordable to luxury.”

Lumiere Developments is contributing towards purchasers’ conveyancing and valuation fees, as well as moving costs for pre-launch sales. The development itself is due for completion in 2018.

The Beacon is within walking distance of Hemel Hempstead station, which offers a 25-minute journey into London. The town is undergoing major regeneration to bring new shopping facilities and 1,000 new homes. The town is also pencilled in for the proposed Crossrail 2 route. The M1, A41 and A414 bring a number of major towns within easy reach.

Find out more at www.thebeacondevelopment.co.uk ; 020 3283 8583