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THE KEVIN MCCLOUD COLUMN
Freeman Homes gets the green light to build 10 low-carbon homes
predicted to achieve highly efficient A-rated energy performance
certificates in Herefordshire village of Fownhope.
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Designer, writer and television presenter, Kevin McCloud leapt into our
consciousness with his vastly successful Grand Designs show on Channel 4. This
month, the affable architectural business owner talks about how we can weigh up
properties at both ends of the scale.
I’ve long championed the virtues of good design, sustainable materials and the transformative
power of personal touch on a space. It’s how I built a business, made a career, and inspired
myself and, I hope, others.
As such, the age-old adage of buying the worst house on the best street, rather than the best
house on the worst street, is one that warrants a discussion deeper than the foundations of the
houses it refers to. The principle is simple: location is unalterable, but a property’s bricks and
mortar are not.
It’s this grand potential for transformation that catches the imagination. Imagine a dilapidated
Victorian house on a street lined with beautifully restored counterparts. The potential for value
creation is as clear as the ornate glass in the neighbouring sash windows.
In a financial sense, with an eye on the investment, there is of course shrewdness in selecting the
street’s overlooked ‘ugly duckling’, as the opportunity for its revival is compelling.
The flip side, the best house on the worst street, presents a different scenario. Here you have
a gem, but one that might stand alone - an oasis of charm in an environment of lesser appeal;
because while the house itself may need no work, the view from the front window can’t
be repainted or refurbished. There’s a discount, yes, but it’s a discount that comes with a view –
and not the one you may desire.
Think of this, though - our homes are not islands, but pieces of a larger backdrop… that being
the local community. And it is the whole picture that ultimately gives us our perception of
‘home’. From schools to parks, restaurants to roads, our environments shape us as much as we
shape them.
So what’s the point in all this? Good question! It’s perhaps the reality that while we work, strive
and obsess over our homes, as personal and private things, ultimately it is everything around us
that we should focus on.
A DESIGN FOR LIFE…
the Kevin McCloud
column
In these uncertain times of social disruption and economic uncertainty, we can take real
hope, real comfort and find genuine clarity from what is outside. So unlock your doors, throw
open the windows and consider the communal narrativeas just as valuable to your home, and
your life there.
Those external surroundings – and that includes the people we share our communities with
– do not need to mirror our homes or ourselves. They just need to be in harmony with them.
So in times when we cannot do all we want to our four walls, to our bricks and mortar, let’s be
grateful for what exists outside.
Award-winning local developer Freeman Homes has received planning approval to build an
exclusive sustainable development in the highly sought after village of Fownhope. Approval
has been granted for the project, which will feature ten individually designed 2, 3 and 4
bedroom properties.
Fownhope, known for its picturesque location in an area of outstanding natural beauty is a
protected area which has not previously been subject to much housing development, making
the plans “extremely rare”.
Freeman Homes, which purchased the land with outline planning permission from the
landowner, has obtained approval for their reserved matters application which significantly
enhances environmental considerations for the properties going above and beyond building
regulations and legislation so they can offer a future proofed sustainable home.
The development, due to begin in March, will follow-on from the existing Cherry Hill scheme
in the village which is already 85% sold, adding to the long list of successful projects Freeman
Homes has delivered across Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.
The site is located on the Eastern outskirt of Fownhope adjacent
to the well-renown doctors’ surgery just one of the many
outstanding amenities Fownhope has to offer. The homes will
benefit from spectacular views across surrounding countryside
and an enhanced landscaping scheme that has been carefully
considered to reflect Freeman Homes’ strategy to place the
environment at its centre.
These areas will comprise ecology landscape planting and
green open spaces to create wildlife corridors and buffer zones,
as well as support the local environment’s biodiversity. Other
ecology features will include various wildlife homes including
hedgehog houses, bird boxes, built-in bat boxes and integrated
bee bricks; a Sustainable Drainage System (SuD) with wetland
ecology planting, as well as orchard tree and wildflower planting.
Freeman Homes support the Wye Valley’s Dark Sky Policy,
installing wildlife-friendly downward-directed external lighting.
A mixed use of natural stone, brick, timber boarding and timber
porches across the development will carefully compliment the
Herefordshire village’s existing vernacular, while offering thermal
efficiencies and utilising the lowest carbon outlay construction
method.
The EPC A-rated properties will benefit from a number of energyefficient
features, including integrated solar roof panels, air source
heat pumps, and battery packs to store generated energy, enabling
homeowners to save money on bills, reduce household carbon
footprint and emissions, while reducing reliance on the national
grid.
Featuring high specification fittings including underfloor heating
and energy efficient kitchen appliances, each build will also
incorporate many key aspects to appeal to the eco-conscious
buyer. These include internal and external water saving features
– from shower heads and toilets to water recycling butts and
waste recycling facilities. There will also be Project EV electric car
charging points included.
Hayley Coombs, Sales and Operations Director at Freeman
www.thepropertydrop.co.uk
01600 717255
info@thepropertydrop.co.uk
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change and the publisher can take no responsibility for omissions or errors. The inclusion of an advertiser in this paper is not
necessarily a recommendation. ©The Property Drop 2024.
Homes said: “We are delighted to announce plans for this development of energy efficient
properties which fuse sustainable innovation with high spec features and modern living. We
have engaged with local stakeholders during the planning process to try and address any
concerns and ensure as much as possible our development was aligned with Fownhope’s own
Neighbourhood Development Plans, respecting the Wye Valley AONB and the scheme fosters
social and economic wellbeing for the area.
“Our objective for this development was to create low maintenance, future-proof homes that
are efficient to run. With spacious rooms our homes are ideal for local people who need to
right-size, moving out of large family homes into a more manageable yet spacious home.
This in turn frees up larger, older properties for families who wish to upsize. We have proven
this to be the case at our Cherry Hill development with 85% of our customers moving from
within 3 miles of the village, and the majority choosing to right-size into what we hope will
be their forever home.”
Work will start on the site in March 2024.
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