
Housebuilders come in all shapes and sizes but they know best what will work and what will sell. If great plans are not to be compromised later then it makes sense to work with housebuilders to interrogate the vision that has been validated so as to be practical.
The Ashfield Estate, led by founder Tim Knatchbull, undertook a thorough selection process to find partners with the same enthusiasm and understanding so we could be sure they would work hard together to capture the spirit, the heart and the soul of the project to make our vision possible.
Our Partners, Wyatt Homes, Morrish Homes and C G Fry & Son, are regional, family-owned and well-respected housebuilders who possess all the necessary experience and wisdom to support the vision of The Ashfield Estate. Each has a history of delivering exceptional new build homes and places as well as providing outstanding customer service, giving the current and future Ashfield residents valuable peace of mind.
There is no point in setting a radical agenda if it cannot be secured. An artist’s impression is one thing but it only has meaning if it has integrity. There is little value in building a great new housing development if there is no means in place to engender civic pride and to regulate. The aim here is to deliver the conservation areas of the future and these merit well explained and justified control.
One way to ensure a faithful delivery is to establish a relationship with like minded housebuilders who are capable and experienced in matching a landowner’s aspirations; hence the promotion of the schemes by The Ashfield Partnership.
A second step taken by The Ashfield Estate is to adopt an enduring position to promote and manage the Luzborough Stipulations helping to set up a Residents’ Association or other body so that, in time, the scheme can become self governing. The important element here is to establish the right legal framework from the outset and for the future. When construction is complete then the housebuilders’ role will have concluded and it will be for the Ashfield Estate to take matters forward.
The third component is in following both tradition and contemporary practice aiming for schemes which prove to be successful by being popular. It would be brave to anticipate how technology might inform changes in living patterns or how the environmental challenge might best be addressed, but much effort has been made to plan new communities which are not dependent on motor cars. The advent of battery powered vehicles may permit a change of emphasis. Even then there is no doubt that better neighbourhoods and healthier places are likely to be those which favour pedestrians and bicycles.
If you can walk out of your front door in the morning, perhaps dropping children at school, go to work, do some shopping at lunchtime, and return to take part in recreation, social, or cultural activity without using a vehicle then life might well be a more rewarding experience.
Sustainable living is about how we choose to live our lives. The question is whether new development affords the ability to make those choices. In order to secure that vision the aim is to settle a Masterplan which anchors decision making through the planning process.