Recent news issued for the Larkfleet Group are below.
A full archive of releases is available on the right hand side of this page.

News from 2009 July to December

News from 2009 January to June

News from 2008

LarkPoint searches for suitable development sites in Cambridgeshire 23rd February 2010

LarkPoint is currently searching for suitable development sites in Cambridgeshire.

LarkPoint often works in partnership with registered housing providers, care operators, primary care trusts and councils. The company has strong and well established relationships within many providers and operators active within Cambridgeshire.

Sites are required between 1 and 3 acres in size which have a good ‘main road profile’. They need to be located close to existing amenities, public services and shops which will ensure that residents and building users have easy access to the wider community.

LarkPoint currently has a development under construction off Thorney Road in Eye near Peterborough which includes a 52 unit extra care facility and 12 close care bungalows with associated parking and landscaping.

The extra care housing in Eye will offer varying levels of care and support including specialist dementia care on site for residents living in their own self contained homes, while the close care scheme consists of independent bungalows that can be rented or purchased which are built on the same site as the extra care facility.

Giles Nursey, a director of LarkPoint, commented: “LarkPoint is dedicated to providing high quality healthcare and retirement living developments in Cambridgeshire. Our development in Eye is just one example of the premises we wish to provide more widely across the county.”

Larkfleet Homes begin work on affordable housing in Bourne 22nd February 2010

Work has now started at a stalled housing scheme in Bourne thanks to government funding allocated by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to get construction sites back on track.

Larkfleet Homes, secured the government funding to build 47 affordable properties at Manning Road in Bourne.

The development has received a total of £2.8 million support - comprising £718,000 social housing grant and a £2,110,000 loan - from HCA as part of the government's Kickstart initiative, which helps mothballed housing schemes get back on site.

The 47 properties at the scheme will include both flats and houses, and will be a mix of market sale and affordable homes. After completion, 15 of the properties will be sold to the Longhurst Group as social rented affordable homes.

The remaining properties will be sold privately and through the Homebuy Direct Scheme, where buyers purchase a minimum of 70 per cent of the property and receive the remaining 30 per cent as a loan from the HCA and the developer.

Work is due to be completed by the end of March 2011.

The properties sold through the Homebuy Direct Scheme will all be built to meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 - some 25 per cent above the standard building regulations specification for energy performance. The affordable properties sold to the Longhust Group will meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, highlighting Larkfleet Homes' commitment to creating affordable, well-built and energy-efficient homes.

The development will provide additional employment opportunities for local people. Larkfleet Homes already runs a successful apprentice programme employing eight apprentices who will be involved in the construction of the new development.

Duncan Smith, strategic investment manager for Larkfleet Homes, commented: "This development will not only provide local people with employment opportunities but these homes will provide much needed new social rented housing in the area."

Margaret Allen, regional director of the HCA, said: "We're pleased to support this development that will bring forward much needed, high quality housing on brownfield land. The range of private, affordable and shared ownership properties will create a mixed community that people want to, and can afford to, live in."

Larkfleet Homes currently has two other Kickstart funded sites, one in Eye, Peterborough and one in Oakham, Rutland. Between the three sites Larkfleet Homes is providing a total of 183 new properties.

Tim brings pedal power to new appointment 16th February 2010

Larkfleet Group has appointed Tim Green as a new construction manager.

Tim has worked for Larkfleet Group for two years and in his new appointment as construction manager has already started working on four sites across Lincolnshire, Stamford and Rutland.

The award winning Hawksmead development in Oakham and The Orchard site in Deeping St James, which are currently being built by Larkfleet Homes, are some of the sites that Tim will now oversee. Warburton Court in Grimsby which is currently being built by Larkfleet Group’s construction company FE Peacock is another site that Tim will manage.

In his new role, Tim will be involved from the initial tender to the successful completion of a project, encompassing the day to day management and overseeing health and safety aspects of each site. He will also take part in design consultations and meetings with clients on a regular basis.

In June, Tim will join a team of four cyclists from Larkfleet Group as they cycle the 1,000 mile marathon from Lands End to John O’Groats. The team aims to raise over £10,000 for the Willow Foundation, a charity which organises special days for seriously ill 16-40 year olds.

The idea to attempt Britain’s greatest long distance cycling challenge came to Tim as a result of a birthday gift from his friends: “Sarah, my wife, knew I wanted a new bike for my 30th birthday,” he said. “It was a total surprise when I discovered all my friends had clubbed together and bought me one.

“To acknowledge their very special gesture, I decided there and then that the Lands End to John O’Groats challenge was one I had to attempt.”

Larkfleet Group managing director, Karl Hick commented: “I am delighted to appoint Tim as construction manager as over the past two years he has made a really positive impact on our team. I am sure in his new role Tim’s strong work ethic will be an asset to the colleagues he is working with. His planned charity bike ride is a great opportunity to raise money for a fantastic cause. I wish him and the team every success.”

Tim commented on his appointment: “I am delighted to now be working as construction manager and look forward to the varied work the role involves. My work ethic is to ‘always give more than is expected’.”

The cycling foursome start their epic journey on June 26. Anyone wishing to support the Larkfleet team will be able to do so using the online donation site www.justgiving.com.

Jason to lead sales drive for Larkfleet Group 15th February 2010

Jason Colmer has joined Larkfleet Group to help boost sales of homes on the company’s government-funded developments.

Jason has been appointed as sales director designate to focus initially on Larkfleet Groups’ Kickstart funded developments.

Kickstart is a government initiative that helps mothballed housing schemes get back on track through funding from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Kickstart funded developments include a proportion of affordable homes, allowing local people to ‘get a foot on the property ladder’ through shared ownership or HomeBuy Direct schemes while also providing high quality rented housing.

Jason will focus on sales of properties available on the HomeBuy Direct scheme and open market sales on these developments as Larkfleet Homes aims to continue to achieve a ‘market leading’ sales rate over the next eighteen months.

Jason has more than twelve years of experience working with blue chip developers and is used to handling multi-million pound marketing budgets.

In his previous employment as sales and marketing director at Taylor Wimpey, Jason successfully exceeded sales targets and developed sustained growth for the business.

Jason commented on his new appointment: “I am delighted to join Larkfleet Group as sales director designate. I look forward to helping the company achieve even higher sales on its Kickstart funded developments. The properties for sale on the open market are of an incredibly high standard.”

Karl Hick, managing director of Larkfleet Group, commented: “Jason is a highly competent sales and marketing person with a track record of excellent performance against targets. I am delighted to welcome Jason to Larkfleet Group and am sure he will prove to be a fantastic addition to the team here.”

Larkfleet Group is currently developing three Kickstart funded sites - one in Eye, one in Oakham and one in Bourne - all with properties for sale under the HomeBuy direct scheme and on the open market. The sites will provide over 180 homes built to an enhanced energy efficiency standard, which will allow residents to benefit from lower fuel bills.

FE Peacock wins bid to build on ground breaking developments 15th February 2010

FE Peacock is one of only two construction companies that have been awarded contracts by South Holland District Council’s new housing company South Holland Homes to build affordable homes in the district.

South Holland Homes is wholly owned by South Holland District Council and is the first company of its kind in the country.

South Holland District Council was one of the first successful bidders for the newly available ‘social housing grant’ that is to be used to help build these affordable homes.

A competitive tender process resulted in South Holland Homes commissioning FE Peacock Construction to submit a planning application on its behalf. The application has now been approved to build four affordable homes at Tydd St Mary in South Holland, and work on these properties is expected to be completed around July.

FE Peacock managing director Karl Hick commented: “This is a great achievement for FE Peacock and we are proud to have been appointed to build these affordable homes on behalf of South Holland Homes. Our work with the council on this development is important and will assist the council in its number one priority to make more affordable homes available for local people”.

LarkPoint starts work on Cambrigeshire Extra and Close Care Housing
10th February 2010

LarkPoint a joint venture between Larkfleet Group and Nottingham based CharterPoint Developments, has started work on an extra and close care housing scheme in Eye for Axiom Housing Association.

The scheme includes a 52 unit extra care facility and 12 close care bungalows with associated parking and landscaping on land off Thorney Road in Eye.

The development has been made possible following an intensive period of collaboration between LarkPoint and Axiom with Peterborough City Council, Peterborough Primary Care Trust and the Homes and Communities Agency to get the project off the ground. The total investment by Axiom in the scheme is almost £10 million with £3 million coming from a grant from the Homes and Communities Agency.

The main building on the development will offer high quality residential accommodation as well as a wide range of amenity and communal facilities. It is intended that this extra care accommodation will be a community hub, offering facilities not only to residents of the main building but also to the close care bungalows and to the wider community in Eye.

Work is scheduled to be completed in March 2011.

LarkPoint provides high quality, bespoke primary care, elderly care and retirement living premises and often works in partnership with registered housing providers such as Axiom Housing Association.

Giles Nursey, a director of LarkPoint, commented: “This new development is a fantastic opportunity for both LarkPoint and Axiom Housing Association to work together to provide quality extra and close care housing for the elderly. We look forward to progressing the construction phase.”

Alan Lewin, CEO of Axiom Housing Association, said: “There is an increasing need for high quality independent accommodation for older people. This new development will allow us to meet part of that need in Eye backed by our established and dedicated first class support service."

Extra care housing offers varying levels of care and support available on site. People who live in extra care housing have their own self contained homes resulting in extra care housing being a popular choice as an alternative to a care home.

Close care schemes are a relatively new concept and consist of independent flats or bungalows that can be rented or purchased which are built on the same site as an extra care facility or a care home.

Kestrel helps FE Peacock complete Whaplode properties ahead of schedule 3rd February 2010

Kestrel Timber Frame has helped FE Peacock Construction deliver 12 affordable properties in Whaplode months ahead of schedule.

The affordable homes, located off Miller’s Rest in Whaplode, South Holland, Lincolnshire, include a range of both two and three bedroom houses.

The development was scheduled for completion in June 2010. However, construction work is now complete and the properties have been handed over to Boston based housing association, Longhurst & Havelok Homes.

Kestrel designed the frames based on building drawings supplied by the developer. They were manufactured by Kestrel in its factory at Market Deeping before its highly experienced teams delivered the frames to site and swiftly erected them. This made it possible for the builders to construct the homes in a fraction of the time required by conventional construction techniques.

Ross Nichols of Kestrel said: “By using our timber frames FE Peacock was able to control its costs and reduce the amount of time it took to construct the new homes, helping it to remain ahead in the current highly competitive housing market.”

All properties were built to meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 – some 25 per cent above the standard building regulations specification for energy performance.

Four of the plots are fitted with rainwater harvesting technologies and all properties have air source heat pumps, highlighting FE Peacock’s commitment to creating affordable, well-built and energy-efficient homes.

Cathy Aljohari, project manager at Longhurst Group, said: “Longhurst & Havelok Homes are delighted to have worked with a highly reputable company such as FE Peacock on this development. The properties are of a very high quality and importantly are also sustainable.”

All Kestrel’s timber is obtained from guaranteed sustainable forest sources, adding to the environmental benefits of this method of construction.

FE Peacock gains top conservation award 1st Febraury 2010

FE Peacock Construction has been handed top honours in a scheme celebrating conservation in Rutland.

The prestigious George Phillips Design Award, organised by Rutland Local History Society and supported by Rutland County Council, is given to the project that is considered to have contributed to the conservation of the character of the built environment in Rutland.

FE Peacock Construction built the winning development, located in Drift Close, Barrowden, on behalf of Peterborough-based housing association Accent Nene.

The development includes five houses and two bungalows that were all rented or sold on a shared ownership basis to people with a local village connection – nominated from Rutland County Council’s housing register.

This enabled local people to purchase a home in a small rural community where they would otherwise be priced out of the housing market.

The development was designed by John Blair, director of Cambridge based architects Saunders Boston, who ensured all properties were built with features such as stone detailing so that they are in keeping with existing rural homes in Barrowden.

The timber frame construction of the properties is an economical and efficient method of building which allows for a quicker construction time. The timber is sourced from sustainable forests.

The properties all meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 - some 25 per cent above the standard building regulations specification for energy performance, highlighting FE Peacock’s commitment to creating affordable, well-built and energy-efficient homes.

The scheme received the support of the Homes and Communities Agency which provided a grant of £185,000.

The George Phillips Design Award was presented to FE Peacock managing director Karl Hick on behalf of the development partners. He said; “We are delighted to receive this prestigious award as everyone involved has worked extremely hard, to the highest standards. The development has helped meet the need for affordable housing in Barrowden with homes which are both economical and environmentally friendly.”

Rutland County Council’s housing portfolio holder, Coun Mark Wells, praised the project and its impact on the village and its surroundings. He said; “The award to the Drift Close scheme demonstrates how affordable housing can capture the look and feel of its surroundings as well as meeting the housing needs of local people.”

FE Peacock, which is part of the Larkfleet Group, was also responsible for an eco friendly office park in Oakham that was shortlisted for the same award. Each of the nine office units included many features such as a lighting system which automatically turns off lights when rooms are unoccupied and dims lights when the sun is shining.

Larkfleet Group’s development company Hawksmead has submitted a planning application to Rutland County Council for permission to build a major extension to the town of Oakham that could provide up to 1,100 homes, new shopping facilities, offices, parks and open spaces.

Planning proposals also include a continuing care retirement community at Oakham North. If these are approved FE Peacock will be responsible for the development of the site which will include the use of low carbon building techniques and renewable energy technology.

Larkfleet Homes begins work on affordable housing in Eye
27th January 2010

Larkfleet Homes has secured government funding which will help to finance the building of 84 properties in Eye, near Peterborough.

The development has received a £680,000 grant and a £2.8 million loan from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) as part of a government initiative, Kickstart.

The 84 properties, which will include both flats and houses, are being built on Thorney Road in Eye. After completion, 16 of the properties will be sold to Axiom Housing Association as social rented affordable homes.

39 properties will be sold through the Homebuy Direct Scheme, where buyers purchase a minimum of 70 per cent of the property and receive the remaining 30 per cent as a loan from the HCA and the developer. The remaining 29 properties will be sold privately.

Work has just begun on site and is due to be completed by the end of March 2011.

The properties to be sold privately and through the Homebuy Direct Scheme will all be built to meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 - some 25 per cent above the standard building regulations specification for energy performance. The properties sold to Axiom Housing Association will meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, highlighting Larkfleet Homes’ commitment to creating affordable, well-built and energy-efficient homes.

The development will provide many employment opportunities for local people, as Larkfleet Homes aims to utilise local suppliers and employ local labour. Larkfleet Homes already runs a successful apprentice programme employing eight apprentices and plans to involve them in the construction of the new development.

Duncan Smith, strategic investment manager for Larkfleet Homes, commented: “This development will not only provide local people with employment opportunities but these homes will provide much needed new social rented properties in the area.”

Terry Fuller, regional director for the East of England at the Homes and Communities Agency, said: “The Kickstart programme demonstrates how we can work in partnership with developers, social landlords and local authorities to deliver more homes and places to live in the region.
As a result of this latest Kickstart money, more people in the region will have the opportunity to live in a new home at a rent they can afford, or will be helped to take the first steps into home ownership.”

Larkfleet Homes currently has two other Kickstart funded sites, one in Bourne, Lincolnshire and one in Oakham, Leicestershire. Between the three sites Larkfleet Homes is providing a total 183 new properties for sale or rent.

FE Peacock completes Whaplode properties ahead of schedule
27th January 2010

FE Peacock Construction has helped meet the need for affordable housing in Whaplode by completing 12 properties ahead of schedule.

The affordable properties, located off Miller’s Rest in Whaplode, South Holland, Lincolnshire, include a range of both two and three bedroom houses.

The development was scheduled for completion in June 2010. However, construction work is now complete and the properties have been handed over to Boston based housing association, Longhurst & Havelok Homes.

All properties were built to meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 - some 25 per cent above the standard building regulations specification for energy performance.

Four of the plots are fitted with rainwater harvesting technologies and all properties have air source heat pumps, highlighting FE Peacock’s commitment to creating affordable, well-built and energy-efficient homes.

All properties on the site will be available at affordable rent.

Karl Hick, managing director of FE Peacock, said: “We have worked closely with Longhurst & Havelok Homes to provide a first-class affordable housing development that meets the needs of people living in Whaplode. The homes are designed to ensure residents live in a safe and friendly environment.”

Cathy Aljohari, project manager at Longhurst Group, said: “Longhurst & Havelok Homes are delighted to have worked with a highly reputable company such as FE Peacock on this development. The properties are of a very high quality and importantly are also sustainable.”

Larkfleet Group invests in future of construction industry
5th January 2010

Larkfleet Group is defying the gloom in the construction industry by recruiting five new apprentices to work alongside the company’s existing three apprentices.

The team of new recruits was formally welcomed to the company by managing director Karl Hick – and two football stars from Peterborough United.

Danny Mills and Romone Mcrae were on hand at the welcoming event to stress to the young men just starting on their construction industry careers the importance of dedication, training and teamwork in order to achieve success.

Karl Hick said: “By continuing with our apprentice scheme at a time when the construction industry is struggling because of the economic downturn, we are sending a clear signal that the way forward is to invest in training and development.

“That message was reinforced by our visitors from Peterborough United which, I hope, helped to make it more memorable for the apprentices.”

Larkfleet’s new intake of apprentices includes a carpenter, a bricklayer, two plumbers and an electrician, all recruited from local communities in and around Peterborough and the nearby town of Bourne where Larkfleet has its headquarters.

“Keeping it local is very much part of the plan,” said Karl. “We are proud to be one of the companies doing something really positive within our own community. We need to make sure we have the skilled people necessary to take our business forward and the apprenticeship scheme continues to be a great way to strengthen our workforce and add value to the business.”

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