Local man invests in his birth place

A Gornalwood man has returned to his birth place after 47 years to lead the transformation of the historic Wordsley hospital site into a contemporary new community!

John Symons is managing director of leading regional housebuilder George Wimpey West Midlands, and fondly remembers the place where it all began for him, daughter Sian (21), and lots of other friends and relatives along the way.

He explains: “Sian was one of the last to be born in the same annexes where I came into the world, because shortly after towards the end of 1988 they opened the new maternity wing, which for then was very state-of-the-art. We’re now building superb family homes on that very spot and I find that both very appropriate and gratifying.

“I’m really proud of my roots and this area, so when this prime site became available for development some three years ago when Wordsley Hospital closed, the chance to breathe new life into the area was too good to miss. And I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to maintain the mature trees this area is known for and that the best parts of the old building, like the famous clock tower, are being restored and retained.

“It’s a fantastic location, still very aspirational, with lots of picturesque public open space worked into in the overall development layout. Indeed we named the development Lawnswood Ride after the woodland of the same name nearby and the highly desirable Hunter’s Ride area, which is also on the doorstep. I’m also delighted to say that with 30 sales so far, we’re way ahead of schedule and with advance sales secured are almost sold out already for 2009. Contrary to the belief that every housebuilder is suspending operations, we’re progressing at full tilt here and literally building to keep up with demand.

“People obviously want to live in Wordsley, plus our pricing levels are realistic for the local marketplace, while I would back the quality of our build against any of our competitors. One of our site managers was recently placed in the top 20 nationally in the National House Building Council’s annual awards and I think that says a lot about our approach to housebuilding and the quality levels we undertake to deliver.”

Lawnswood Ride offers a bespoke selection of 86 properties made up of four/five/six bedroom detached properties, three storey, three/four bedroom townhouses, plus cottage-style semi detached homes. Future initiatives will also include two bedroom designer apartments overlooking the undulating public open space.

The buyer profile here is refreshingly different – much more owner occupation than investor - with young professionals, first time buyers, expanding families and those downsizing because of the convenience of new build and the superior location. Indeed, over half of the sales, so far, have been to local buyers, all taking advantage of competitive pricing levels and a host of cost cutting packages that help to get a move on.

John adds: “Property pundits use the phrase ‘location, location, location’ a great deal and it’s never been more appropriate than here. Ever since we announced our exciting plans to re-develop this terrific site 18 months ago, interest has been very high from homebuyers in Wordsley, across the Black Country and beyond.”

Part Exchange is also proving popular with local families, because it guarantees a buyer, a fair price and no worries over a moving date for the existing property, or being let down by banks, solicitors and even buyers pulling out. Subject to survey, George Wimpey settle on a price for your old house and stick to it, along with a realistic completion date, so there’s no unpredictable chain to hold things up.

John concludes: “There are no agent’s fees to pay either as we’re effectively buying your home from you – leaving you to move in to your new home as and when you’re ready – plus we can even accommodate ‘chainbreaker’ deals whereby we step in and purchase another property further down the chain if things fall through. This stops the purchase getting held up, or even grinding to a halt and our customers tell us that it provides extra peace of mind and takes all the stress and strain away.”

Current availability at Lawnswood Ride includes two bedroom designer apartments with allocated parking from only £109,995, four bedroom, three storey mews homes from £189,995 and five bedroom detached homes with garage from just £284,995. The showhome on Auckland Road is open Thursday - Monday from 10am – 5pm.

For more information, see Georgewimpey.co.uk.