Industry News

industry news WISE LIVING CELEBRATES REACHING 100% RESERVED IN RECORD TIME

THE LATEST 100 per cent reserved development by build-to-rent (BTR) specialist Wise Living has completed in record time, again demonstrating the strong demand for new build rental units within a mixed tenure site.

The development, located at the former Springfield Brewery yard in Wolverhampton, offered 64 homes in total through Wise’s second successful partnership with Keon Homes. The development was completely reserved off plan, highlighting the value that new build lets, backed by the strong tenant support, add to UK housing developments.

Mark Gratton, land and partnerships director at Wise Living, said: “We have seen a huge increase in interest in the BTR market with the West Midlands proving particularly strong. However, Springfield Brewery still reserved faster than expected due to the strong central location. We received a lot of positive feedback from tenants who felt the development exceeded their expectations on viewing with a higher-than-average recommendation score. Tenants really liked the site’s proximity to amenities and transport links, the added appeal of the site’s heritage, and the marketing support from Keon Homes.

“It’s interesting that most of our tenants are new renters that have moved from living with parents, friends, or relatives and are aged 35 or under. This proves the real value to those who aren’t quite ready to get onto the property ladder themselves but still want a high standard of living, with 31% also wanting the space for their children to enjoy. It demonstrates that BTR is a solution to supporting younger people into properties they can call home.” •8•

The house types, which are all terrace plots, were brand new to Wise and were received incredibly well. They feature balconies, with communal green space and a walled garden replacing private gardens, as well as individual homes having EV charging points and solar panels on the larger apartment block.

Mark said: “This was a unique site that saw success due to the collaboration between Keon as delivery partners, BM3 as architects, and the local planning authority, in creating a deliverable scheme that generated the right land value. We’ve achieved a density level of around 50 units per acre and remained housing-led, rather than being all apartments – this has worked really well in this location with positive feedback from all parties. This is a great example of how flexiblility and innovation can pay off when unlocking difficult, unused sites.”

Keon Homes and Wise Living were tasked with protecting and reflecting as much of the site’s original heritage as possible. Features such as the retaining wall surrounding the entire site and the restored grammar school’s gates were maintained and used as design inspiration for other areas of the site. For example, the adjacent original streetlamps were complemented by black steel used in balconies and slate roof tiles and specific window shapes reflected the original structure. Warren Bolton, director at Keon Homes, said: “It’s great to deliver another high-quality scheme with our partners Wise Living. This scheme really does showcase the power of partnerships with a special thanks to the planner, Vijay Kaul and head of technical, Tom Chew, for their part in arriving at a scheme that is in keeping with the principles of the surrounding Springfield Brewery. We sit here today with a fantastic flagship project, handed over to our partners on time and to the highest standard. We look forward to working together to repeat this process on future schemes.”

Wise Living has developments across the country, including in Telford, Coventry, Rotherham, Birkenhead, Boston, Mansfield and Hull.

For more information on the development please click here.

product release GROHE wins Ideal Home Kitchen Award for Best Kitchen Tap

• GROHE Blue Home WaterSystem wins Ideal

Home Kitchen Award in “Best Kitchen Tap” category • GROHE Blue filtered water system enables a more sustainable lifestyle by eliminating the need for single-use plastic water bottles • Offering ultimate convenience and function with refreshing, filtered water at home • Ideal Home judges said: “We’re all about getting our recommended 6-8 glasses of water a day. And the Blue Home filtered water kitchen tap from

GROHE will make it easier to achieve, as well as cutting down on single-use plastic water bottles"

Leading global bathroom and kitchen manufacturer GROHE, has been named the worthy winner of this year’s Ideal Home Kitchen Awards in the “Best Kitchen Tap” category.

The Ideal Home Kitchen Awards were created to celebrate the very best in kitchen manufacturing and design. The innovative design and daily convenience of the GROHE

Blue Home WaterSystem came out on top and was named the Best

Kitchen Tap available to consumers in 2022.

“The UK has access to some of the best quality drinking water in the world, but hard water regions can carry a lot of limescale that affects the taste. This, coupled with consumer concerns and media reporting around micro-plastics, has led to many turning to non-sustainable alternatives such as single-use plastic bottled water from the supermarket”, says Ebru Bircan, Leader, Marketing Activation UK, LIXIL EMENA, GROHE UK, “I am delighted that our efforts to create innovative products with customers and sustainability at the forefront has been recognised by Ideal Home, a voice that is so wellknown and trusted by the modernday consumer.”

Ideal Home’s team said: “Still, medium or sparkling from the same tap = genius! You can also activate it from your phone which is brilliant for busy, hardworking kitchens”

Designed with functionality and convenience in mind, the GROHE Blue Home filtered water system provides fresh, filtered, chilled water direct from the kitchen tap at the touch of a button, with water options of still, semi-sparkling, or fully sparkling available along with temperature preference. GROHE Blue Home offers a lifelong, sustainable solution that enhances the taste and quality of water at home, without negatively impacting the planet.

Available with app connectivity, GROHE Blue Home allows the user to take their kitchen tap experience to new heights with smart features that let users activate the tap from their smart phones, monitor water consumption and complete instantaneous re-ordering of replacement filters and CO2. GROHE Blue filters also come with the option of added health supplements such as Magnesium + Zinc infused filters and filters designed for different levels of water hardness for the best tasting results.