Home-grown olive oil a bonus for villa-owners in Crete

A Berkshire-based developer celebrated National Tree Week by planting 1,400 trees for Britons to enjoy in Crete.

Said Marie, principal of Caversham-Barnes of Caversham – this year’s winner of the Best Developer Newcomer Award presented by the AIPP (Association of International Property Professionals) – spent the week at Litsarda in western Crete supervising the planting which included 300 olive trees. Together with more than 150 trees already growing on the 1.6 hectare (four-acre) site, they will be used to produce olive oil for the owners of the nine individually-designed two- and three-bedroom detached homes he is building on plots of up to half an acre.

Owners who harvest the olives on their plots will be able to have them pressed and bottled by the local co-operative in the small town of Vamos, two kilometres away.

Also on the site, which is approached by a lane lined with eucalyptus trees, Said has planted a further 1,100 trees to produce flowers, fruit and nuts. They include pikrodafni, almond, orange, lemon, peach and pomegranate.

“In addition to plentiful supplies of fruit, the trees will provide villa owners with shade and privacy, beauty when they are in blossom and natural habitats for birds,” said Said whose Litsarda Villas scheme is 40 minutes by road from Chania Airport.

It is close to the heart of the village of Litsarda. Vamos has shops, a bank, post office and healthcare facilities.

The villas, which have spacious floor areas of up to 115 sq metres, come with the facilities which market research reveals are expected by discerning Britons seeking comfortable lifestyles. They include private heated pools, air conditioning, central heating for Crete’s short winter and secure garages. The properties are positioned with a north/south orientation so that the hours of sunshine on the terraces are maximised.

Prices of the properties at Litsarda Villas start at €249,900.

For more details, visit caversham-barnes.com