Bellway North London has welcomed the first visitors to its premium new housing development in Cuffley. 

The housebuilder opened the doors to King George’s Vale, off Northaw Road East, where it is delivering a collection of 121 two, three, four and five-bedroom homes built to a high specification.

The developer unveiled a new two-storey sales and marketing suite at the 12-acre site, which is just to the north of the King George V Playing Fields.

Food and drink were provided by local businesses who were on hand to offer snacks and drinks. Staff from LL Cocktails & Bubbles served Prosecco and beer, and Coffee Trike provided hot chocolate, coffee and tea.

Greg Allsop, Bellway North London Sales Director, said: “It was great to welcome guests to King George’s Vale to see the range of homes available while enjoying snacks and a drink on us.

“The superior specification of these premium properties and the desirable location make this a particularly sought after development and there was an extremely good turnout for the event, with more than 50 people attending.

“Our impressive new sales and marketing suite features a 3D model of the development, allowing potential purchasers to see exactly where particular homes will sit within the site. The large interactive screen was also a big hit as it enables people to get a real insight into the layout and specification of the homes.

“In addition to this, the top floor houses a display kitchen which showcases a wide variety of  sample materials and potential additions. Buyers can peruse options for cabinet doors, worktops, flooring and more – seeing firsthand the quality of options available to customers when they purchase a home here.

“As well as providing much-needed new housing, King George’s Vale will generate substantial investment in infrastructure and local services for the benefit of existing and future residents of this thriving and vibrant village community.” 

As part of the planning agreement for King George’s Vale, Bellway North London is providing funding of more £2.2 million for local infrastructure and services. Contributions include £1,192,005 towards education, £156,332 for healthcare, £333,500 for highways and £444,215 for sports facilities.

The development will comprise 79 houses for private sale and 42 affordable homes for local people through shared ownership or affordable rent.

Properties will feature Google Nest smart thermostats, electric vehicle charging points and solar panels.

There’s currently a choice of two, three and four-bedroom homes available to reserve at King George’s Vale, with prices starting from £500,000. Express Move and Part Exchange schemes are available at the site.

For more information about the development, call the sales team on 01707 524334 or visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/north-london/king-georges-vale.

Expanding property consultancy Vail Williams has opened a new office in Oxford to meet growing business demand.

The office, forming an extension of the firm’s Thames Valley region, is headed by Richard Dawtrey, Partner and Head of Investment.

Two new members of staff – experienced Partner Mike Watson and Surveyor Clark Tersol, have been recruited, both from Cluttons in Oxford.

Historic and listed building specialist Chris Bailey has been appointed to cover building consultancy and other hires are in the pipeline, including support staff.

The Oxford team is being augmented by senior colleagues Guy Parkes (agency), Sarah Isherwood (planning), Dan Pearce (valuation) and Roland Browning (occupier advisory) all of whom are already active in the Oxfordshire marketplace.

Vail Williams will initially be located at New Barclay House in Botley and is offering a comprehensive, full-service proposition in Oxford.

Managing Partner Matthew Samuel-Camps said: “This further strategic growth is aligned with our Business Plan, enhancing our offer geographically and synergising perfectly with our current office footprint, particularly that of Birmingham, London and Reading.

“Richard, who had six years’ commercial property experience at a national firm based in Oxford before moving to Vail Williams, has kept in touch with his old client base and is clearly the perfect person to lead our city team.

“There is no denying that Oxford and Oxfordshire are significant growth areas and bringing in Mike was crucial to the process. He has worked in Oxford for 25 years, has a second-to-none reputation, knows the city’s property market inside out, is an expert on the city centre and, in particular, acts for a number of the colleges.”

Matthew added: “Oxford is a significant and world-renowned educational centre with a high growth wider region – including in Bicester, Abingdon, Banbury and Didcot where there has been substantial investment – and of course the significant business growth witnessed in the city itself allied to the university, especially in the life science markets.

“We already have a high quality, established client base in the region and will be seeking to build on our existing presence by offering a multi-disciplinary approach, as well as our expanding sector expertise in residential, energy and environmental and town centre re-purposing.”

Richard will also continue to act as Head of Investment, servicing clients in the south east and midlands regions and is also tasked with expanding the sector.

Vail Williams employs 175 people, of which more than 50 are partners, based across its 12 offices in the Midlands and south of England (Oxford, Birmingham, Crawley, Brighton, Woking, Heathrow, Leeds, London, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Bournemouth). 

Vail Williams’ full-service property advice includes commercial agency, investment and development advice, building consultancy, property valuation, planning, lease advisory, property asset management, business rates and occupier consultancy.

The UK’s first practical training centre for the fire door industry has opened today in Bury, Greater Manchester.

Purpose built, the 3,000ft² Training Academy has been launched by Fire Door Maintenance (FDM) to raise safety standards across the industry. Comprising different types of fire doors and components from a range of manufacturers, the facility will provide a dedicated space for hands-on training plus classrooms for theory-based learning.

Accredited by GQA Qualifications, an awarding body for specialist and occupational roles, the Academy will offer a variety of courses. The first to launch will be a fire door inspector course, followed by a course centred on fire door maintenance, and another focusing on fire door installation. After completion, participants will receive a GQA skills card.

As well as ensuring compliance with the latest fire safety regulation, the accredited training will respond to the Hackitt report’s recommendations following the Grenfell Tower fire. The inquiry into the tragedy revealed fire doors didn’t perform as expected. Out of the 120 doors in the building, 106 had been replaced and comprised different hardware from the tested door.

A variety of fire safety awareness courses will also be on offer for anyone wishing to learn more about the latest legislation and how to raise safety standards such as merchants, architects, facilities managers, locksmiths and representatives from housing associations, local authorities and the fire rescue service. 

Owned by UAP, FDM is led by former business consultant Nicola John who has two decades of experience in the door manufacturing and construction industry.

Commenting on the opening Nicola said: “The Training Academy is the first to offer practical fire door training in the largest centre of its kind. The Hackitt report underlined the importance of the ‘golden thread’ and this is at the centre of our specialist training. Each course will underline how vital it is to source primary test evidence and the risk of changing or substituting components in a fire door.

“Providing access to fire doors and components from a range of manufacturers is a key element of the training. All fire doors are made slightly differently which means they need to be inspected differently too. Training participants will learn the nuances of each product and how to identify and fix any issues.”

The Training Academy was formally opened by Councillor Sandra Walmsley, Mayor of Bury at a ribbon cutting ceremony. The event was also attended by Bury Council leader, Councillor Eamonn O’Brien.

Dan Brown, strategic relationship manager at GQA Qualifications said: “The launch of FDM’s Training Academy is exceptionally timely, coinciding with a significant phase of introspection within the construction industry. This introspection, fuelled by the demands of the Building Safety Act 2022, aims to enhance overall quality, compliance, and competence following a series of tragic events resulting in devastating loss of life.

“GQA Qualifications is proud to support FDM as it embarks on its mission to deliver rigorous training and qualifications to the industry. These offerings, awarded by GQA, are designed with meticulous assessment and learning content to address the life-safety risks associated with fire safety doors in buildings. 

“The Training Academy serves as a model of accomplishment, showcasing what is possible with the appropriate determination, concentration, and commitment to enhance training in a specific yet vital sector.”

As part of FDM’s offer, the Academy will also be used to provide bespoke training for the company’s own operatives. This workforce is available to housing associations and local authorities seeking to outsource fire door inspections, maintenance and installations.

Before any work begins, details of the manufacturers of the fire doors within a building are sourced. This information is provided to FDM’s operatives at the Training Academy ensuring they know exactly what to look out for during the inspection, including any potential risks.

A total of 400 operatives are available across the UK for this ‘boots on the ground’ service. With extensive experience of the door manufacturing industry, the operatives can also work alongside software providers, complementing their service and providing additional information such as the test evidence, for reporting purposes.

Doors and components in the new Training Academy have been provided by Harlow Timber Group, West Port, Latham’s Steel Doors, Unity Doors, Permadoor, Strongdor, The Sovereign Group, NSG Group, DoorCo, Rutland, Mann McGowan, Lorient, PDS, and Contactless Check Solutions, IG, GGF, Pilkingtons, Nordan, PWIDF and Specialist Door Solutions.

Bellway North London has welcomed the first visitors to its premium new housing development in Cuffley. 

The housebuilder opened the doors to King George’s Vale, off Northaw Road East, where it is delivering a collection of 121 two, three, four and five-bedroom homes built to a high specification.

The developer unveiled a new two-storey sales and marketing suite at the 12-acre site, which is just to the north of the King George V Playing Fields.

Food and drink were provided by local businesses who were on hand to offer snacks and drinks. Staff from LL Cocktails & Bubbles served Prosecco and beer, and Coffee Trike provided hot chocolate, coffee and tea.

Greg Allsop, Bellway North London Sales Director, said: “It was great to welcome guests to King George’s Vale to see the range of homes available while enjoying snacks and a drink on us.

“The superior specification of these premium properties and the desirable location make this a particularly sought after development and there was an extremely good turnout for the event, with more than 50 people attending.

“Our impressive new sales and marketing suite features a 3D model of the development, allowing potential purchasers to see exactly where particular homes will sit within the site. The large interactive screen was also a big hit as it enables people to get a real insight into the layout and specification of the homes.

“In addition to this, the top floor houses a display kitchen which showcases a wide variety of  sample materials and potential additions. Buyers can peruse options for cabinet doors, worktops, flooring and more – seeing firsthand the quality of options available to customers when they purchase a home here.

“As well as providing much-needed new housing, King George’s Vale will generate substantial investment in infrastructure and local services for the benefit of existing and future residents of this thriving and vibrant village community.” 

As part of the planning agreement for King George’s Vale, Bellway North London is providing funding of more £2.2 million for local infrastructure and services. Contributions include £1,192,005 towards education, £156,332 for healthcare, £333,500 for highways and £444,215 for sports facilities.

The development will comprise 79 houses for private sale and 42 affordable homes for local people through shared ownership or affordable rent.

Properties will feature Google Nest smart thermostats, electric vehicle charging points and solar panels.

There’s currently a choice of two, three and four-bedroom homes available to reserve at King George’s Vale, with prices starting from £500,000. Express Move and Part Exchange schemes are available at the site.

For more information about the development, call the sales team on 01707 524334 or visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/north-london/king-georges-vale.