HOUSEBUILDER LAYS THE FOUNDATIONS FOR NEW COMMUNITY IN CENTRAL KENT

The first brick has been placed on site at Barratt David Wilson Homes’ The Poppies development in Hermitage Lane, Aylesford. The Poppies will offer a range of new homes, from three-bedroom to four-bedroom homes, with a 60/40 split of private and social affordable homes. Set to launch from a new sales suite and two show homes at the end of the year, the first residents are poised to move in at the start of 2024.

Named ‘The Poppies’ in a nod to the rich military history in the area, Barratt David Wilson Homes is helping maintain Maidstone County’s history of exceeding housebuilding targets by contributing 840 houses to the council’s target of building 17,660 new homes by 2031. The private homes will be designed to appeal to a range of households in the area, from first time buyers to families. All homes have been constructed with energy efficiency in mind, including the use of a new ‘eco-brick’, which uses up to 31% less upfront embodied carbon than a standard building brick. Wider measures in place such as energy efficient boilers and high levels of insulation, that ensure a new Barratt and David Wilson home is up to 63% cheaper to run than the same sized older home with modern day improvements[1]. Barratt David Wilson Homes will also commit to investing over 10 million pounds in the local economy through industries such as education, highways, and healthcare.

Located in between Kent’s biggest town of Maidstone and the village of Aylesford, The Poppies is extremely well served by public transport and easy road use. The local railway station is within walking distance, offering connections to Ashford International and London Victoria. For road use, the development leads to the M20, allowing easy access to M26, M25 and the M23 for Dover for trips across the continent. Maidstone is in the heart of the Garden of England too, with the River Medway flowing through the centre. The town is also sandwiched between The Kent Downs and The North Downs, both of which are designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty for residents to enjoy.

Natalie Perry, Sales and Marketing Director for Barratt David Wilson Kent, comments: “The Poppies has been designed with nature in mind, offering a vast amount of green open spaces and biodiversity features to ensure that as we build new communities, existing wildlife can thrive. As a sustainable housebuilder, whenever we build in new areas, we are dedicated to not only supplying houses, but also giving back to the local community. That is why we will be investing in the county borough of Maidstone and wider areas as part of The Poppies, in industries such as highway works, education, and healthcare to ensure the local economy is flourishing and that our work sees long-term benefits. Due to the site’s proximity to Kent’s largest town of Maidstone which has excellent amenities, transport links and a fruitful buyers’ market, we expect high interest both off and on-plan over the next few months during our official launch.”

Kimberley Benson, Sales and Marketing Director for Barratt David Wilson Southern Counties, comments: “We are really pleased to be launching our latest development The Poppies which will deliver much-needed new homes to the area to suit a diverse range of buyers, whatever their stage on the property ladder. In particular, we anticipate high demand from local buyers, as there is currently a very limited new homes market in the local area.

“Over the next few years, we will be working with a range of diverse community groups across Aylesford and Maidstone as well as investing in the surrounding infrastructure. We are looking forward to welcoming our residents into their new homes and sharing why Aylesford is the next hotspot to live in the Southeast.”

Barratt David Wilson Homes has committed to investing over £10m into the local economy over the next few years as part of its Section 106 agreement. This will include: £764,400 toward bus services, £27,359 for community learning, £717,616 toward healthcare, £1,300,000 for highway works, £41,460 for libraries, £1,812,720 toward outdoor sports, £3,462,498 for primary education, £3,141,828 for secondary education, and finally, £11,315 toward youth services.

The Poppies has 15.9 acres dedicated to open space, comprising of green areas, play parks and biodiversity sections. A network of walkways and cycle paths ensure residents have easy access throughout the development, into Maidstone and beyond. Other wildlife friendly measures include bee-friendly planting, over 11,000 new hedgerows implemented and 162 new trees planted.

For further details about Barratt David Wilson Southern Counties or the new homes at The Poppies call 0333 355 8502 or visit www.barratthomes.co.uk.

[1] https://www.barratthomes.co.uk/efficiency-built-in/energy-efficient-homes/