The Larkfleet Group is a privately owned group of development and construction companies.

Larkfleet signs the Skills pledge 19th August 2008

Larkfleet Homes has signed the Skills Pledge to encourage its staff to become qualified in the area that they are working.

The Skills Pledge is a Learning and Skills Council (LSC) initiative which encourages businesses to make a public commitment to skills development for their staff.

As part of the scheme Larkfleet Homes has committed to support all of its employees to develop their basic numeracy and literacy skills and encourage employees to work towards a full Level two qualification (equivalent to five good GCSEs).

Larkfleet Homes currently has three members of its head office staff working towards various qualifications. Jess Clewlow, trainee quantity surveyor, and Laura Sibthorpe, assistant buyer, are both working towards the National Certificate for Construction and Darren Broom is working towards the AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) Diploma.

The company also employs five apprentices who are working towards their National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level Two in either bricklaying or carpentry.

Larkfleet Homes’ managing director Karl Hick said: “Having well trained and competent staff is vital for a productive and successful business.

Larkfleet boss appeals to Prime Minister 4th August 2008

The managing director of the larklfeet Group, one of the region’s most successful building companies has written to Prime Minster Gordon Brown appealing for action to prevent a complete halt to house building in this area.

Karl Hick, head of Larkfleet Group which includes housing developer Larkfleet Homes, building contractor F E Peacock and timber frame specialist Kestrel Timber Frame, says it is not just the ‘credit crunch’ and a slowing economy which are responsible for the present crisis in the house building industry.

In his letter he points to a rise in taxes and regulations which are making it impossible to build homes economically.

Specific problems which he draws attention to include:

• For every home that they build, developers have to make payments to local authorities to finance roads, schools and other facilities.
• As part of the government’s plan to cut carbon emissions, new homes have to be built to increasingly tough standards – standards which are adding thousands of pounds to the cost of homes and which will add more cost in future as new and even higher standards are introduced.
• As part of most housing developments the developer or landowner has to provide 30 per cent or more of the homes as ‘affordable housing’ – homes which are normally passed to housing associations which rent or sell them at low cost to people who would otherwise not be able to afford to get onto the ‘property ladder’.

Larkfleet Group and its subsidiaries, including building contractor FE Peacock, are very committed to the affordable homes market. They build a large number of properties for housing associations. However, the company is concerned that this ‘tax’ on development in the current difficult market will prevent many new developments taking place. It is particularly concerned about plans by some councils to demand even higher levels of affordable homes on new developments.

In his letter to Gordon Brown, Karl Hick says: “These costs very often make sites very difficult to deliver in our area of operation, even in the good times, and this is before the raft of new legislation coming in.”

In the current circumstances, he says, it is not possible for house builders to make a profit and they will go out of business – as many have done in the past few weeks. The government will therefore fail to meet its target of getting 240,000 new homes built every year.

He suggests that the government must tackle the fall in house prices, get local authorities to review the costs they impose on developers to pay for schools and roads, and stop raising the standards required in building new homes.

Karl Hick is also expressing concern about recent changes to the way in which commercial rates are charged on buildings. He says this is making forward planning of developments very difficult and is having a profound effect on the development of local economies – which will ultimately affect jobs.

His letter concludes: “I am pleading with you to look at the commercial and practical issues surrounding the house building industry and the delivery of properties.

“Any delivery programme cannot and will not happen unless local planning and government regulation is looked at and integrated together to examine the effects of both on the delivery programme. Major changes will be needed to ease the regulation burden.”

Larkfleet achieves Investment Partner status 21st July 2008

Larkfleet Homes has been awarded Investment Partner status by the Housing Corporation – the government body responsible for regulating and supporting housing associations.

This enables Larkfleet to support its existing housing association partners and provide a better overall service to the local authorities where they operate.

The Investment Partner status will also give the company necessary credentials when submitting planning applications to local councils for sites requiring only affordable housing.

Karl Hick, managing director of Larkfleet Homes, said: “We believe that this status further demonstrates our commitment to the affordable housing sector and enhances our company profile with the Housing Corporation.

“We are dedicated to working with local housing associations and we wish to continue and strengthen these successful relationships.”

Companies in the Larkfleet group are currently working on affordable housing in Oakham, Bourne, Peterborough, and a number of villages in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.

Housing associations are independent organisations regulated by the Housing Corporation which provide low cost homes for rent or shared purchase by individuals and families who would otherwise not be able to afford decent housing. The Larkfleet Group works with housing associations to provide affordable housing throughout the East Midlands and East of England.

Larkfleet sponsors local BMX track 17th July 2008

Larkfleet Homes is to sponsor the BMX track at John Eve Way in Market Deeping.

The track is in need of refurbishment and Larkfleet is providing £2,695 to complete the funding of the project.

Karl Hick, managing director of Larkfleet Homes, said: “Larkfleet is committed to improving the local community in which it operates. We are looking forward to working with Market Deeping Town Council on this venture and hope to work with them again on other projects.”

The primary sponsor for the track is WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental Limited) the not-for-profit environmental body registered to fund projects which are “eligible” under the Landfill Communities Fund.

Town and district councillor Reg Howard said: “The BMX track is well used by local children and bike enthusiasts and was a well received venture when it was built in 2004. The sponsorship money we have raised from Larkfleet and WREN will help to maintain this community asset.”

Larkfleet is currently putting together plans for a mixed use development in The Deepings that will provide a much needed arts and cultural centre, a new home for Deeping Rugby Club, an Age Concern day centre, a nursing home and some additional affordable housing.

Half price homes in Lincoln as builders tap into government cash 10th July 2008

New homes at Friars Mews in Lincoln are being offered at half price to some buyers as Larkfleet Homes is using government cash to cut the cost of housing.

The company has been authorised to offer the government’s new MyChoiceHomeBuy scheme at its Lincoln development. Potential homebuyers can get an equity loan contribution from MyChoiceHomeBuy of anything up to 50 per cent of the value of the home. The mortgage is paid off in the usual way with a small monthly fee payable on the MyChoiceHomeBuy share.

The MyChoiceHomeBuy share can be paid back in stages or, if the homeowner chooses, in one go. If the homeowner decides to sell the house before the MyChoiceHomeBuy share is paid off, the government will take a share of the money from the sale.

Karl Hick, managing director of Larkfleet Homes, said: “The scheme will make new homes affordable for many more people in the area. It will assist people to achieve the dream of owning their own new home and we will obviously also help in any way we can.

“At a time when house prices are lower than they have been for some time, paying perhaps as little as half the price makes it a great bargain.

“And from the point of view of house builders such as Larkfleet, if the scheme means we can continue to sell homes it also means we can continue to provide employment for our highly skilled craftsmen – so it is a real ‘win-win’ for everybody.”

Larkfleet is also offering the MyChoiceHomeBuy scheme on its developments at Mews The Meadows in Eye, Oakridge Park in Bourne and The Stable Yard in Oakham.

The company will help buyers with the necessary paperwork and will introduce them to financial advisers who can assist with finding mortgages to cover the portion of the house price not covered by MyChoiceHomeBuy.

Larkfleet hands over new homes in Oakham 9th July 2008

Larkfleet Homes has handed over five new two-bedroom apartments in Oakham to Nottingham Community Housing Association (NCHA).

NCHA will be offering the apartments – at The Stableyard – for sale to local people on a shared equity basis, under which the residents buy a share of the property and pay rent on the rest. Options are then available for residents to buy more shares in the home when they are able, helping them to get onto the ‘property ladder’.

Larkfleet itself is offering another five apartments in the same development for sale under the new MyChoiceHomeBuy scheme. Potential homebuyers can get an equity loan contribution from MyChoiceHomeBuy of anything up to 50 per cent of the value of the home. The mortgage is paid off in the usual way with a small monthly fee payable on the MyChoiceHomeBuy share.

Alan Fisher of NCHA said: “Working with Larkfleet allows us to help local people who are being priced out of the traditional housing market, despite recent falls in house prices.”

The new apartments are part of a development which will include a total of 15 new homes and 11 homes that will be created by converting existing stables and other buildings at a former stud.

Larkfleet Homes is building and selling the homes in conjunction with Hawksmead Ltd (www.hawksmead.co.uk) which purchased the former Barleythorpe Stud in 2002. Hawksmead has subsequently provided land for both the Oakham bypass and the link road to the bypass which it constructed for Rutland County Council. Hawksmead is currently developing 30 acres of its land in the area for employment uses.

Hawksmead is currently asking Rutland County Council for permission to change its plans slightly and split one of the 11 planned conversions into two smaller units.

Karl Hick, managing director of Larkfleet Homes, said: “We are very conscious of the need to provide affordable homes and the two smaller units will be more attractive to buyers who cannot find finance for a larger home.

“The NCHA and MyChoiceHomeBuy apartments also help to meet the need for affordable local homes.”

Larkfleet uses government cash to offer new homes at half price 2nd June 2008

Larkfleet Homes is using government cash to offer new homes at as little as half their normal price.

The company has been authorised to offer the government’s new MyChoiceHomeBuy scheme at its developments across the region. Potential homebuyers can get an equity loan contribution from MyChoiceHomeBuy of anything up to 50 per cent of the value of the home. The mortgage is paid off in the usual way with a small monthly fee payable on the MyChoiceHomeBuy share.

The MyChoiceHomeBuy share can be paid back in stages or, if the homeowner chooses, in one go. If the homeowner decides to sell the house before the MyChoiceHomeBuy share is paid off, the government will take a share of the money from the sale.

Karl Hick, managing director of Larkfleet Homes, said: “The scheme will make new homes affordable for many more people in the area. It will assist hundreds of people to achieve the dream of owning their own new home and we will obviously also help in any way we can.

“At a time when house prices are lower than they have been for some time, paying perhaps as little as half the price makes it a great bargain.

“And from the point of view of house builders such as Larkfleet, if the scheme means we can continue to sell homes it also means we can continue to provide employment for our highly skilled craftsmen – so it is a real ‘win-win’ for everybody.”

Larkfleet is offering the MyChoiceHomeBuy scheme on its developments at Friars Mews in Lincoln, The Meadows in Eye, Oakridge Park in Bourne and The Stable Yard in Oakham.

The company will help buyers with the necessary paperwork and will introduce them to financial advisers who can assist with finding mortgages to cover the portion of the house price not covered by MyChoiceHomeBuy..”