A NEW housing development in Finchampstead was launched in spectacular style on Saturday, October 5 – and the company behind it is promising that they will be part of the community.
Legal & General held a party to celebrate three new showhomes opening on its Finchwood Park site. They form part of the 14 home styles on offer, and the company says that each of the homes features substantial storage space, high-speed fibre optic cabling, energy efficiency measures as standard (including Hive thermostats) and on-plot parking.
It also promises that each home is sold with no additional costs, borrowing a computing term – what you see is what you get – to explain the concept. This means all fittings, fixtures and Bosch appliances are included in the price.
The family fun day on Saturday saw house hunters descend on the development to explore the opened homes, enjoy a barbecue and listen to music from a steel band.
John Allan, managing director at Legal & General Homes, was on hand to help explain the benefits to the development and he’s proud of what the company is offering.
“Once complete there will be 1,500 units, the full gamut here, with family accommodation of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes,” he says.
“With what you see is what you get, there is nothing extra. You can see the carpet and the flooring, the Bosch appliances, the smart metres, there’s also fibre optic cable to home, it’s all included.
“We believe in transparency with housing.”
And the homes aren’t shoeboxes. Each has plenty of space, not just floor space but head space too.
“The ceilings are 150mm higher than most buildings, so it gives the height,” Mr Allan said.
“We always say we wouldn’t build homes we wouldn’t want our own families to live in – and that’s exactly what we have on offer here.”
The development includes 35% affordable housing, but Mr Allan is pledging that the will be integrated so no one would notice any differences.
And there are other differences to Legal & General Homes: all its contractors have to sign up to a framework document, ensuring they fit in with the company’s quality values. “We set parameters,” Mr Allan said.
“The construction handover is three weeks before customers move in, which gives three weeks of snagging. We always strive to get a perfect house.
“When people move in, we’ll go out of our way to help. We work with local businesses to offer a welcome pack – Dobson’s Butchers in Crowthorne and Stefan’s in Wokingham – so when people move in they’ve got bacon, sausages, tea and milk, all the things you don’t think about when moving, and it means we keep contact with local businesses.
“We’ll also offer a handyman for day, to help put things up. We have a 24/7 response number, who can come out within four hours. We’ll give homeowners an iPad loaded with info on boilers etc.
“It’s totally unique and we’re trying to be different with an emphasis on quality and customer service. That’s our philosophy.”
And this means that Legal & General boasts a 100% customer satisfaction rate.
“I’m pleased and proud,” Mr Allan says, adding, “but I’m not complacent.”
Mr Allan, who lives in the borough, is determined that Legal & General Homes is part of the communities, not just the ones it is establishing in Crowthorne and Arborfield Green, but across the borough.
“I want them to be integrated, we try and do that everywhere we go,” he promises, citing in Crowthorne, the firm has helped with painting a community centre and helping refurbish a red bus project. The company has also been running nature walks at its Buckler’s Park development.
And last Friday, the company also held a gala ball where it raised £20,000 for charity.
“A large part of what we do is to put back into the local community. That’s what drives us, along with 100% customer satisfaction. So far, so good.
“We want folk to be happy, we’re not after a fast buck, we’re here for the long run.”
For more details on Finchwood Park, which is offer Sheerlands Road, log on to www.finchwood-park.co.uk or call 0118 391 4963.
