Housing Minister attends the official opening of new custom built homes at Hempsted Green
(12 March 2015)

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis MP attended the official opening of the first Government-backed custom-build residential development in Cambridgeshire, at Hempsted Green, as part of his official visit to Peterborough on 12 March.

The opening was also attended by Counsellor Marco Cereste, Leader of Peterborough City Council and Terry Fuller, Executive Director, East and South East of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Hempsted Green is a custom-build new home development of 11 three and four bedroom detached homes by Urban Selfbuild Ltd (USB Ltd), one of the first of a new breed of ‘custom build developers’. The development is located within the new neighbourhood of Hampton Hempsted, just two miles 1.5 miles south of Peterborough City Centre.

It is part funded by the Government backed Custom Build Homes Loan Fund, administered by the HCA, where £30 million of funding has been made available to help unlock multiple plot custom build schemes.

The new development provides homebuyers with the opportunity to buy a detached property, adapt it for their way of living and stamp their mark on the design of not only the interior décor, room layout, finishes and specification, but also what the house looks like on the outside with material, colour, window and door variations. Other options available include vaulted ceilings, underfloor heating and solar thermal. There are no other opportunities like this in the area, so owners will have a truly unique home for them.

The properties are being sold through Bairstow Eves and Taylors estate agents in Peterborough, which are part of Countrywide plc, the UK’s largest property services group.

Simon Pugh, Director of USB Ltd said: “We realise that there is untapped demand from people who would like to commission a new home designed and built to suit their needs without the hassle and risk associated with ‘doing it yourself’. At USB we refer to this as ‘your home, your way’ and liken the process to the way in which cars have been specified and built to order for many years.”

Terry Fuller adds: “We are really excited to see this scheme developing in Peterborough, it’s the first in Cambridgeshire. The programme is still open to the market and we are looking forward to other companies seeing Custom Build backed by Government as a viable option to bring great new homes to the market across the east and south east.”

Housing and Planning Minister Brandon Lewis said: “This government is giving hard working people who aspire to build their own home the opportunity to do so.

“We want to see the industry grow significantly with more sites like Urban Self Build's excellent Peterborough project. This is why we’re announcing a £150million fund to help unlock the massive potential the self build sector has and help even more people achieve their ambitions.
“This fund will help create shovel-ready serviced plots so small developers and custom-builders can get on and build, finishing their projects more quickly.”

The standard specification of the homes built by USB Ltd are extremely efficient, built using factory built timber frame construction to provide a super-insulated and air tight external fabric, including high performance windows and doors, with a system to manage fresh air and recover heat. So, considerable savings for heating and hot water are possible for home owners. Bespoke customised homes can be built within 12-16 weeks of exchanging contracts once design, specification and finance have been agreed.

Prices depend upon design and level of build but a serviced plot for a three bedroom home can be purchased from £85,000 and a completed home from £195,000. For further information about the properties or to arrange an appointment to view the development, contact Bairstow Eves Land and New Homes on 01733 558871.

Councillor Cereste offically opens Hempsted Green custom build homes		Housing Minister Brandon Lewis MP with Simon Pugh and Ron Gibbons

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