David Bellamy adds the finishing touches to development

Environmentalist David Bellamy has helped George Wimpey Midland and Bournville Village Trust extend ecological features into the great outdoors at the brand new Oakham Manor development in Lightmoor Village.

Chamois Eco Kitchens, who manufacture kitchens made from 100% recycled timber as part of their process and have David Bellamy as a board member, arranged for the UK’s best loved botanist to be on hand to plant a tree at the landscaped new community, a joint building venture between the leading housebuilder and the trust.

Bournville Village Trust promotes sustainable communities in the local area, guiding the development of homes with features which not only help save the planet, but are also wonderful places for people to live, whatever stage of their life.

Working with the trust, George Wimpey Midland has incorporated extensive sustainable features into the Bournville homes – which comprise a quarter of the 108-home development – as well as introducing many of these features into its homes available on the open housing market.

For example, every property at Oakham Manor has high-performance loft insulation and a range of water-saving features including low-flush toilets, bath tap flow restrictors and outside water butts.

All electrical appliances are A-rated, including heating boilers, and to minimise energy use for drying clothes, homes with gardens come with an outdoor rotary line, with apartments including an indoor ‘tidy-dry’ over the bath.

George Wimpey is also promoting home working - and thereby reducing the need for commuting - by providing extra power sockets and phone points for broadband in the ‘spare bedroom’ or study.

Finally, each property comes complete with a shed fitted with cycle hoops, to reduce car use.

The systems have been designed to dramatically cut down on carbon dioxide emissions, but also have the added benefit of reducing homeowners’ fuel bills.

Adrian Griffiths, George Wimpey Site Manager for Oakham Manor, says: “Our collaboration with Bournville Village Trust means that high-quality sustainable homes are not only available for those eligible for trust housing, but also to our customers.

“The Bournville ethos is that every area of the community should be created and maintained to the highest standard, and as such everyone who moves to Oakham Manor will benefit from landscaped gardens, block-paved drives, courtyards and pathways, and high-quality street lighting.

“Standards will also be kept high throughout the lifetime of the development by the presence of a Bournville warden, who ensures people living at Oakham Manor fully respect their community.

“As a result our customers receive a lot more for their money, in addition to benefiting from energy-saving features which will save them money in the long term.”

A range of three, four and five-bedroom homes are currently available at Oakham Manor, ready for a pre-Christmas move.

Three-bedroom homes are priced from £205,000, four-bedroom detached homes from £315,000, and five-bedroom luxury housetypes start at £337,500.

George Wimpey offers a range of deals tailor-made for all types of buyers, and for those with a property to sell, the leading housebuilder’s easymover programme offers a range of attractive incentives on selected properties.

Well-connected and yet surrounded by open countryside, Oakham Manor is part of the new Lightmoor Village community, nestling in the beautiful landscape between Telford and Coalbrook Dale and benefiting from over 50 acres of open landscaped areas for leisure, sport and recreational use.

A range of amenities including a primary school, health centre, a family pub and restaurant and shops catering for everyday needs are being constructed alongside the high-quality homes, and Lightmoor Village will also be well-served by existing and new public transport links, with a bus service to Telford town centre where a wider range of shops and schools for children of all ages can be found.

Commuters will appreciate that the M54 and M6 just a short drive away, while Telford’s railway station provides links to Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

The sales centre, located at Lightmoor Village, Horsehay, is open seven days a week from 11am to 5pm.

Information on George Wimpey developments across the region is available by visiting the web site at Georgewimpey.co.uk.