Leading volume housebuilder Weston Homes has exchanged contracts to aquire a 10.36 acre site in the village of Thornwood in Epping with plans to build Thornwood Park, a new £33.5 million (GDV) high quality residential development providing up to 62 new family homes complete with gardens, landscaping, community orchard, parking and circa 4.7 acres of public open space in the form of a pocket park.
The deal to purchase the Thornwood village site, located off High Road, is subject to planning which has been granted (Resolution to Grant Outline Planning Permission) and allows for the demolition of existing buildings on the site followed by a new development of up to 62 new Homes (inclusive of 40% onsite affordable housing).
It is envisaged that the new scheme will consist of two, three, four and five bedroom family houses with gardens and landscaping, designed around winding streets and crescents. The orchard and pocket park will give Thornwood Park a leafy and green ‘garden suburb’ ambience and provide the new address with an abundance of green open space for relaxation and leisure. The site is currently occupied by redundant residential property, outbuildings and a clay pigeon shoot facility.
The purchase of the 10.36 site in Epping is the first of a series of site acquisitions currently in negotiations which form part of Weston Homes plans, announced in November 2022, to invest up to £500 million in strategic land acquisitions over the coming five years, in order to further expand the company’s existing £2.13 billion portfolio of pipeline developments across London and the South East, which will deliver over 7,500 new homes.
Weston Homes is continuing to look for new sites within outer London and the South East in locations within a 15 minutes walk to a railway station. Weston Homes is interested in greenfield land sites, brownfield sites and country houses, corporate headquarters or institutional buildings which could be converted into new residential or mixed use addresses.
Bob Weston, Chairman and Manging Director of Weston Homes says: “The acquisition of the Thornwood village site in Epping will enable Weston Homes to deliver a new residential scheme of family houses perfect for first time buyers, young couples and families. This new development in the London commuter region is part of our ongoing major growth and expansion. The business has a highly diverse range of developments across London and the South East, including traditional housing and major landmark mixed use schemes.”
Weston Homes land buying department is headed up by Land Director Dawn Wylie who joined the business in 2006 and works closely with Bob Weston and Planning and Design Director Steve Hatton to identify land buying opportunities and bid on sites.
Founded in 1987 by Chairman and Managing Director Bob Weston and now one of the leading developers of quality homes in the South East of England, Weston Homes is a major employer with 515 employees across Weston Group Plc.
Weston Homes was the winner of the prestigious top Gold Award for Best Medium Sized Housebuilder at the annual 2022 WhatHouse? Awards for its commitment to designing and delivering environmentally sustainable projects. As a result, sustainability is an overarching agenda at Weston Homes, and all developments are designed with a range of eco-credentials and built under a fabric-first policy and constructed using elements of the British Offsite Uni panel system.
New development design features include biodiverse roofs and brown roofs, ground and podium landscaped areas in order to maximise green open space and planting, buildings electric powered using 682 PV panels sited on rooftops and parking bays having access to electric vehicle charging points.
