6 Jan 2021
Why Sundon Road Still Has Traffic Lights On it
A spokesperson for the Linmere developments (HMRC) was asked to explain why Sundon Road has traffic lights on it.
“In response to your questions below, please see the response I have received from the HRMC:
“The principal reasons for the delay in the Sundon Road roadworks are the late discovery of shallow cables under the road by Openreach and UKPN which had to be re-routed. In addition, a landowner has been obstructing some of the works causing delays in the full opening of the road.
“Despite the obstruction, we are designing additional drainage works within CBC land leading to two private driveways to improve the drainage on those drives. The Council have to approve the new drainage design but assuming that is not delayed and landowners cooperate with the construction we aim to have completed the work and removed the temporary traffic lights by the end of February.
“I trust this also answers your query on the temporary traffic lights which hasn’t been caused by Linmere as stated above.
— Thanks, Matthew Matthew Taylor, Account Manager”
16 Apr 2021
AMP3: Linmere Moves Forward as Plans For 1200 New Homes Are Submitted
The plans for Area Masterplan 3 have been submitted to CBC for consideration. Area Masterplan 3 (AMP3) is the latest phase for the Linmere development. AMP3 is aiming for 1,200 new homes between the Woodside Link and the currently vacant land ("Shanley land") next to Houghton Park estate in Parkside, Houghton Regis. These 1200 homes form part of the outline permission granted in 2014 for 5150 homes (the HRN1 scheme, now renamed Linmere).- AMP3 will also include new parks, open space, commercial and community facilities, primary school, hotel and pub on site.
Average building heights will be between 2.5 and 3 storeys with a landmark building at 5 storeys to respond to the gateway approach from Woodside and Sundon Link.
A press release issued yesterday by the developers says, “The Houghton Regis Management Company (HRMC) hosted a programme of virtual online consultation throughout July and August 2020. We received a total of 28 feedback forms, 10 emails, 25 calls with members of the public and held video calls with a number of key local stakeholders from a diverse background, including political, education, health, and business groups, which has informed the planning application.
Nigel Reid, Development Director of HRMC said: “We would like to thank residents who spared the time to give their feedback and engage on the AMP3 virtual consultation during these challenging times. We are delighted to submit an application for AMP3 and look forward to progressing these proposals.”
The Linmere development is being brought forward by the Houghton Regis Management Consortium
(HRMC), comprising Lands Improvement, Aviva Investors and the Diocese of St Albans.
- The plans for CB/21/00246/DOC AMP3 on CBC Planning Portal
25 May 2021
Standoff between landowner and developer in Houghton Regis leads to continued traffic lights woes
Luton Today story. In essence, there were tailbacks of traffic during works on Sundon Road exacerbated when a local landowner erected scaffolding on one of the verges in an attempt to compel developers to address his flood risk concerns. HRMC deveopers on the other hand, denied causing any flood risk to the property and complained that the landowner was illegally obstructing authorised roadworks.20 June 2021
Work To Start Soon on Lidl's Houghton Regis North Store
The store will be situated on the Sundon Link Road (off the Woodside Link road towards M1 J11a).
Lidl construction partners Mitnija will build the store, which will include an on-site bakery, customer toilets and parking. Mitnija have worked across the country to create “Lidl of the Future” stores in the UK featuring modern architecture, spacious planning and energy-efficient technologies. The stores have wider aisles, larger spaces for goods between the tills, baby-care facilities as well as larger employee relaxation rooms. The front façade of the building is made entirely out of glass, so the interior is illuminated by natural light, while automatically controlled external shutters protect the building from heat.
Lidl pays special attention to the environment. Compared to other buildings of similar size and purpose, new Lidl stores emit 20% less CO2, i.e. around 40 metric tons of CO2 annually. The lighting system in the stores, which consists of LEDs, also saves about 50% of electricity compared to conventional lighting systems.
Construction will begin later this month, with a view to opening the store this autumn, according to a statement from Lidl GB. The company's regional head of property is Jason Buckley. Mitnija on LinkedIn “We look forward to getting started on the works and seeing the final product — a newly built shiny Lidl Store. ”
23 June 2021
Linmere Bellway Showhomes Now Open
The doors to two new showhomes have opened at the Bellway at Linmere development in Houghton Regis.
The three-bedroom Turner and Chestnut properties have been decorated and furnished to give visitors an insight into the quality and design of typical properties at the site, and are now available to view by appointment.
The development, located off Sundon Road, comprises a collection of one and two-bedroom apartments and three and four-bedroom houses.
The Turner showhome consists of an open-plan living/dining room with French doors opening onto the garden and a separate kitchen, while upstairs, the master bedroom has an en suite shower room, with the other two bedrooms having access to a modern family bathroom.
The Chestnut housetype, meanwhile, covers three floors of living space, with an open-plan kitchen/dining room and a separate living room with French doors on the ground floor. The first floor comprises two bedrooms and a contemporary bathroom, while the master bedroom spans the entire top floor and includes a dressing area and en suite shower room.
Luke Southgate, Sales Director for Bellway Northern Home Counties, said, “The two new showhomes at Bellway at Linmere demonstrate the quality of construction and spacious layouts of the properties we are building at the development and are already proving popular with visitors to the site.
“Bellway at Linmere is part of a wider new community taking shape at the northern edge of Houghton Regis, with the neighbourhood including a café and community hub, shops, a school and landscaped parkland for recreational activities, community events and sporting fixtures.
“Visitors to the development can also appreciate its convenient location. Houghton Regis town centre is within easy reach, Dunstable and Luton are just a short drive from home and the M1 is only a few minutes away by car for Milton Keynes and London.”
Bellway at Linmere will comprise a total of 153 homes with prices currently starting at £210,000 for a two-bedroom apartment and £343,500 for a three-bedroom semi-detached home.
For more information at the properties available at Bellway at Linmere or to book an appointment to view the showhomes, visit bellway.co.uk or call the sales office on 01582 953878.
24 July 2021
Housing Association Acquires 9.8 acres for over 140 Homes On Linmere Site
Stonebond Properties acquires 9.8 acres to deliver 202 homes at Linmere development in Houghton Regis
Housing developer Stonebond Properties, in partnership with housing association Settle, has completed the purchase of a 9.8-acre site on a new 650-acre urban village development next to Houghton Regis in Bedfordshire.
The site will provide 202 homes, with 70% of them being delivered as additional affordable homes, a mixed tenure parcel combining 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom properties, including 86 shared ownership and 56 for affordable rent. Start on site is due in Spring 2022 with completion expected in Autumn 2025.
Residents will benefit from the area's proximity to one of the many green spaces for which Linmere will be known - the Ouzel linear park, a wildlife haven and walking area.
The plot is the fourth parcel to be sold in phase one of the new Linmere development, which is being created over the next 15 years by the Houghton Regis Management Company (HRMC), a consortium comprising master planners Lands Improvement, Aviva Investors, and the Diocese of St Albans.
Bellway Homes and Barratt Homes are already building around 600 units between them. The first homes are due for occupation in Autumn 2021.
Linmere development director Nigel Reid said, "We are delighted that Stonebond will be joining us as the third developer at Linmere. The investment by Stonebond Properties in the development and the new homes they will create with their partners means the Linmere community will continue to grow in a hugely positive way."
Richard Cherry, co-chairman at Stonebond added: "Linmere is a great example of how beneficial partnerships can be in creating new destinations and we're delighted to have acquired the fourth parcel with settle. We look forward to playing our part in delivering much-needed affordable new homes to the neighbourhood, and to seeing the project evolve."
Gavin Cansfield, chief executive at Settle said "We're delighted to be working in partnership with Stonebond on this development. Our purpose at Settle is to help people who are struggling to find a place to live and to help our residents live comfortably in their homes. Linmere is a fantastic site and we are really pleased to be providing over 140 affordable homes in what promises to be a great community setting."
Around 90 acres of the Linmere site will be green space - a combination of parkland, wildlife corridors, allotments, sports pitches, play areas and walking routes linking the new village with the surrounding countryside and rural settlements.
As well as delivering up to 5,150 homes over the next 15 years Linmere will see the creation of two brand new state-of-the-art primary schools and an extension to Houghton Regis' existing Thornhill Primary school, due to open this September. A ten-form secondary school will open in September 2022.
Phase two of the development, currently underway, includes the village's focal point, The Farmstead, a hub not only for the villagers but for residents from the surrounding area. The centre, due to open in December, will consist of a café, and retail outlets, and will have rooms available for hire for community events. That phase will also see the completion of a 24,500 sq ft Lidl store on 2.11 acres, due to open later this year.
Lidl is also building a one million sq ft regional distribution centre on 58 acres, the largest in the UK, due for completion in 2023, which will create 1,000 new jobs.
Linmere's ethos is to create a place where wellbeing is prioritised and outdoor living is a way of life. Once completed, the overall development will contribute more than £36m towards local education, transport, open space, and leisure facilities. The project has already provided a substantial financial contribution to deliver the A5-M1 Link Road, which has been open since 2017 and will bring benefits to the wider area including helping to relieve traffic congestion in the nearby town centres.
24 July 2021
Linmere reveals Roman and Stone Age history during Festival of Archaeology
Archaeologists who uncovered fascinating Stone Age and Roman remains at the new community, Linmere, being created next to Houghton Regis are encouraging residents to discover the history on their doorstep during the National Festival of Archaeology which is taking place throughout the country
The event, which began on July 17 and continues until August 1, is organised by the Council for British Archaeology.
This year's theme, Exploring Local Places, urges residents across the UK to discover their area's local archaeological history by delving into the stories of the people and communities who lived there hundreds and thousands of years ago.
Recent archaeological excavations at the site on which Linmere is being developed give a tantalising glimpse into domestic life in previous centuries and millennia.
Heritage experts, Bedford-based Albion Archaeology, partnered with Linmere developers before work began on the site and made numerous interesting discoveries that shed light on how previous generations lived in the area.
Intriguing finds include the 8,000-year-old horn of an auroch, wild cattle which became extinct in the UK in the Bronze Age, and a shard of pottery from a Roman flagon dating back to the second or third century which had an unexpected addition. Find out more about the horns of aurochs.
Albion Archaeology business manager Hester Cooper-Reade explained, "The investigations have revealed a wealth of information about the life of the inhabitants of Linmere across nearly 8,000 years of history.
The shard of Roman pottery dating from the second or third century AD and the site of the archaeological dig at Linmere
“The Latin inscription on the Roman flagon is an interesting and unusual find; it has been translated as ‘for a flagon of the gods Jupiter and Vulcan.' Perhaps it contained wine to refresh worshippers of these two gods."
Finds also included pits dating back to the late Mesolithic or early Neolithic periods of the Stone Age, evidence of houses, farmsteads and burials from the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age and several later Iron Age and Roman rural settlement sites. One of these contained drying ovens, houses, farmsteads, and burials. The excavations also revealed the remains of some Saxon buildings and evidence of mediaeval field systems.
After they have been studied by specialists, the finds from the dig will go to Luton's Wardown House Museum.
Linmere development director Nigel Reid said, "The archaeological finds give a fascinating insight into how our predecessors lived. They demonstrate that the land has been occupied for millennia and illustrate that we at Linmere are continuing the cycle of life into future generations. We doubt ancient cattle will be roaming the paths and wildlife havens we are creating, but newer, smaller species will doubtless be making homes in our parks, copses and water features"
The first homes at Linmere will be available for occupation in the autumn.
In total around 5,150 homes will be built over the next 15 years by the Houghton Regis Management Company (HRMC), a consortium comprising master planners Lands Improvement, Aviva Investors, and the Diocese of St Albans.
Linmere will see the creation of two brand new state of the art primary schools and an extension to Houghton Regis' existing Thornhill Primary school, due to open this September. A ten-form secondary school will open in September 2022.
A rough guide to archaeological periods
• Mesolithic (middle stone age) 10,000BC to 8,000 BC
• Neolithic (new stone age) 10,000BC to 4,500 BC
• Bronze age - 3,100BC to 300BC
• Iron age - 800BC to 100AD
• Roman 43AD to 410AD
• Saxon - 410AD - 1066AD
• Medieval - 1066AD to 1485AD
6 Aug 2021
Putting All Saints Church Perspective on Linmere Development
Church policy on sale of glebe: from The Church Times, and reproduced here with the permission of the author, Revd Diego Galanzino, the parish priest at All Saints Houghton Regis.
Fr Diego added, “I have been meaning to write a similar letter to the local papers just in an attempt to set the record straight. People see the new signage for Linmere (“brought to you by the Diocese of St Albans”) and they may assume we got money out of it. Not so, if anything in 2020 All Saints’ was technically £100k in the red thanks to arrears on diocesan quota!
From the Revd Diego Galanzino,
Sir, — I am looking at social media around my patch, Houghton Regis, in Bedfordshire, and I often see posts of people enraged by the sale of glebe land. These posts raise quite difficult conversations for me, both in person and online, and they foster a damaging attitude of mistrust towards “the Church” in general.
Social-media comments from angry people are often simplistic and full of hatred, I grant you, but the sentiments behind this should not be dismissed. Indeed, some of these sentiments are shared by members of my congregation as well.
I would like to point out a few causes of discontent both among the local population and among worshippers.
(1) The glebe land here was sold for commercial and industrial use rather than much-needed housing;
(2) it was sold without involving a simple consultation with the PCC or parish representatives (indeed, without even telling the PCC);
(3) part of the land could have been used for a new cemetery — we have run out of space at both the council and church burial grounds and my people have to pay three times as much to have their loved ones buried in Dunstable or Luton;
(4) none of the profits from the sale have been intentionally reinvested in the town community; and
(5) none of the profits from the sale have benefited the Parish of Houghton Regis.
Incidentally, the last two points have been raised at diocesan synod, with bishops, DBF chairs, and archdeacons on several occasions by other synod reps and by me, but always been brushed aside. We need new schools, new surgeries, new facilities, in a town that is rapidly doubling in size. . .
As a parish, we are shackled by quota requests that are unreasonable for our area and by the budgetary deficit created by not meeting these; we cannot have a curate again, because there is no accommodation; we have to engage in mission and to restore a Grade I listed building, pleading for funds from secular charities while parochial fees and Common Fund standing orders take most of the funds away.
Lay leaders, my partner, and I have had to bankroll or subsidise various aspects of our common life or events. Finally (truly the icing on the cake), we were asked to spend our reserves to meet the quota during the lockdowns — which, by the way, would not even have amounted to half the Common Fund bill.
I understand that there are legal matters underpinning all this, and that simplistic arguments are never the way to debate properly; but just how is this picture fair? And how can we convince the local population that the sale of glebe land was a good thing — if, indeed, this was a good thing at all? Or how can we respond to those who look at the Archbishop’s new cunning plans for glebe land nationally with mistrust and anger?
DIEGO GALANZINO
The Clergy House, Lowry Drive
Houghton Regis
Bedfordshire LU5 5SJ
1 Sep 2021
4 acre site at Linmere for 100 affordable homes
Housing association bpha acquires 4.06 acres at Bedfordshire's Linmere development for 100 affordable homes
A Bedfordshire housing association has completed the purchase of 4.06 acres to develop 100 new homes as part of a new 650-acre urban village being created near Houghton Regis.
The £4.75m deal will see bpha create 49 shared ownership and 51 affordable properties for rent comprising a mix of apartments and houses ranging from one bedroom through to three bedroom homes.
Building is due to start in April 2022, with the first homes being completed by August 2023. Completion of the development is anticipated in October 2024.
In addition, three retail units will be built offering locally run shops, in line with Linmere's 20-minute neighbourhood strategy. Residents will never be more than a 20-minute walk or cycle ride away from community facilities, shops, schools and green spaces.
Jeff Astle, Executive Director of Development and Sales at bpha said, "We are very pleased to have acquired this site at Linmere and look forward to developing a high-quality scheme of much needed homes for shared ownership and affordable rent in this most sustainable location. We are grateful to Homes England for its financial support to ensure that the scheme can progress and we will be submitting a Reserved Matters Planning application to Central Bedfordshire Council shortly. With an anticipated start on site in April 2022, we will be seeking a construction partner before the end of this year".
The scheme will contribute to bpha's development plans to deliver 3,000 new dwellings over the next five years across the Oxford to Cambridge Arc, where the organisation currently owns or manages around 19,500 homes.
The bpha homes are the latest affordable properties to be announced at the new Linmere development, which is being created over the next 15 years by the Houghton Regis Management Company (HRMC), a consortium comprising master developers Lands Improvement, Aviva Investors, and the Diocese of St Albans.
Linmere development director Nigel Reid said, "We're delighted to welcome bpha to the Linmere fold. With our focus on creating communities, the one hundred well designed tenure-blind affordable homes it is going to build will play a key role in ensuring we offer something for everyone. The site will also complement our ethos of ensuring that every single resident is only ever five minutes away from an open green space and needs to travel no further than 20 minutes on foot or bicycle to reach a shop selling everyday essentials."
The first homes at Linmere will be available for occupation in the autumn. Around a third of the 650 acres will not be developed, with 90 acres of this being formal public open space. The rest will be managed land, allowing natural habitats to thrive.
The development will offer a combination of parkland, wildlife corridors, allotments, sports pitches, play areas and walking routes linking the new village with surrounding countryside and rural settlements. Cycle paths and cycle-friendly roads will crisscross the development and Linmere will also link in with the national cycle network.
Linmere will see the creation of 5,150 homes over the next 15 years.
Two brand new state of the art primary schools and an extension to Houghton Regis' existing Thornhill Primary school, due to open this September. A ten-form secondary school will open in September 2022.
About bpha
bpha is a leading Housing Association located in the Oxford to Cambridge Arc. It is committed to providing its customers with high quality, value for money services whilst continuing to develop more, new affordable homes. bpha owns or manages over 19,000 homes and employs around 400 staff.
28 Oct 2021
Linmere announces recycling partnership with local waste management experts
The Linmere consortium has appointed a Luton recycling specialist to manage the waste generated by its new community hub, the Farmstead - choosing a local firm with the aim of minimising the impact on the environment.
The Farmstead includes a café, bakery, shops, a village hall, adventure playground, and the consortium's project offices.
Cawleys, which has been in business for more than 70 years, has a focus on ‘giving new life' to waste through sustainable recycling and resource management. Some of the team from Linmere recently visited the Cawley plant to ensure that the waste will be treated correctly.
The arrangement will mean the majority of the waste produced at the Farmstead will either be recycled or converted into energy. Unusual uses for the rubbish include transforming coffee grounds from the new cafe into logs for wood-burning stoves!
Cawleys, one of the largest family-run waste management companies in East Anglia, the South Midlands and the South East, has an impressive processing site that handles around 1,200 tonnes of waste a day. It is equipped with more than 3km of conveyor belts, uses high tech optical detectors to separate plastic from paper and state-of-the-art magnetic technology to sort metals.
The Farmstead waste will be repurposed in a number of ways. Paper and cards will be graded and baled before being sent to a paper mill to be pulped and eventually made into new paper.
Plastics will be shredded or granulated to produce a ‘regrind' material that can be recycled into new plastic products. Metals will be sorted into ferrous and non-ferrous materials and then melted and reformed into new metal products and glass will be crushed, mixed and melted to create new glass items or used in building materials.
Food waste is anaerobically digested, creating green energy often exported to the National Grid.
The waste management service will collect from all areas of the Farmstead - the community hall, the café, and other retailers, along with the bins near the children's play area.
Household waste on Linmere will be dealt with separately - via the usual local council recycling service.
Linmere development director Nigel Reid said: "Obviously we want to minimise our burden on the planet when it comes to waste, which is why we chose to work with a local partner such as Cawleys. We will be providing dedicated receptacles to enable users to sort recyclable materials from waste that has to go to landfill sites and will make it as easy as possible for everyone to do the right thing. This approach fits in with our wider Linmere ethos of enjoying and protecting the natural environment."
Anna Cawley, Cawleys' customer services director, added: "Being chosen as Linmere's recycling partner is a huge honour. The local community is very close to our hearts and being part of this new community from the very start means we can help the development grow in a sustainable way by ensuring all the waste generated from the Farmstead is recycled to its maximum capacity. Our state-of-the-art materials recycling facility is at the very heart of our ethos of ensuring waste is put to good use and the fact that we are local and waste miles can be kept to a minimum is another bonus."
Around a third of Linmere's 650 acres will not be developed, with 90 acres of this being formal public open space. The rest will be managed land, allowing natural habitats to thrive
The first residents moved into Linmere in the autumn.
In total around 5,150 homes will be built over the next 15 years by the Linmere consortium comprising strategic land company Lands Improvement, Aviva Investors, and the Diocese of St Albans.
Linmere will see the creation of two brand new state of the art primary schools and an extension to Houghton Regis' existing Thornhill Primary school. A ten-form secondary school will open in September 2022.
1 Nov 2021
Lidl To Open its First Houghton Regis Store on Thursday
Lidl will open a new supermarket in Houghton Regis on the Linmere Development on Thursday.
40 new jobs are being created for the area. Construction company, Mitnija, worked with Lidl to build the store, which will include an on-site bakery, customer toilets and parking for both cars and bicycles.
The store at Elmers Gate in the northeast of Houghton Regis, off Sundon Road, opens on Thursday, 4 November.
Opening times are set to 8am - 10pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am – 4pm on Sunday.
The store is the first of two stores that Lidl is opening in the town; the second one will be opened later on Houghton Road, near Northfields Academy. The retailer is also building a one million sq ft regional distribution centre on 58 acres, nearby, the largest in the UK, due for completion in 2023, which will create 1,000 new jobs.
Linmere development director Nigel Reid said, "Lidl will be an important asset for the whole community. Lidl supermarkets have become hugely popular in Great Britain in recent years, and the store will be an essential part of the wider amenities available to residents. We're sure our new Linmere residents will love shopping here."
Lidl GB's regional head of property, Jason Buckley, added: "We've seen incredible demand for Lidl stores across the country and look forward to offering our quality products and incredible value to shoppers in and around the Linmere area. We are firmly committed to helping boost the local economy by creating new jobs.
“It is fantastic that we are able to open our doors and welcome local residents into our highly anticipated store in Houghton Regis. We would like to thank everyone who has played a part in delivering this store and we look forward to serving our multi-award-winning products to the local community.”
Lidl has an ongoing £1.3bn expansion and regeneration plan across Great Britain for 2021 and 2022.
The new store will be close to The Farmstead, Linmere's community base, which will be home to a hall for village activities, a café with in-store bakery, dog groomer, bike shop and adventure playground.
02 Nov 2021
Cawley’s Partners with Linmere in Houghton Regis to Collect Commercial Waste
An upcoming Houghton Regis-based housing development, Linmere, has partnered with waste management business Cawleys to manage the waste generated by its planned community hub.
The arrangement will mean that the majority of the waste produced at the new community hub — The Farmstead — will either be recycled or treated through energy from waste (EfW).
Cawleys will focus on “giving new life” to waste through sustainable recycling and resource management. The arrangement will mean the majority of the waste produced at the Farmstead will either be recycled or converted into energy. Unusual uses for the rubbish include transforming coffee grounds from the new cafe into logs for wood-burning stoves.
Cawleys, one of the largest family-run waste management companies in East Anglia, the South Midlands and the South East, has an impressive processing site that handles around 1,200 tonnes of waste a day. It is equipped with more than 3km of conveyor belts, uses high tech optical detectors to separate plastic from paper and state-of-the-art magnetic technology to sort metals.
The Farmstead waste will be repurposed in a number of ways:
Paper and card will be graded and baled before being sent to a paper mill to be pulped and eventually made into new paper.
Plastics will be shredded or granulated to produce a ‘regrind’ material which can be recycled into new plastic products.
Metals will be sorted into ferrous and non-ferrous materials and then melted and reformed into new metal products.
Glass will be crushed, mixed and melted to create new glass items or used in building materials.
Anna Cawley, Cawleys’ customer services director, said, “Being chosen as Linmere’s recycling partner is a huge honour. The local community is very close to our hearts and being part of this new community from the very start means we can help the development grow in a sustainable way by ensuring all the waste generated from the new Farmstead hub is recycled to its maximum capacity.
“Our state-of-the-art materials recycling facility is at the very heart of our ethos of ensuring waste is put to good use and the fact that we are local and waste miles can be kept to a minimum is another bonus.”
Food waste is anaerobically digested, creating green energy often exported to the National Grid.
The waste management service will collect from all areas of the Farmstead – the community hall, the café, and other retailers, along with the bins near the children’s play area.
Household waste on Linmere will be dealt with separately via the usual local council recycling service.
The first Linmere residents moved into their new homes in the summer. A new Lidl supermarket opens on Thursday, 4th November.
22 Dec 2021
Plans approved for 154 new homes on edge of Houghton Regis
Plans for Bellway to build 154 new homes on the edge of Houghton Regis have been approved.
The new homes will be the housebuilder’s second phase of properties at Linmere – a new neighbourhood which is planned to eventually consist of 5,150 homes and new schools, shops, community facilities and more than 90 acres of public outdoor space.
The detailed plans for the homes, located to the north of the consortium site and south of the A5 Dunstable Bypass, were given the go-ahead by Central Bedfordshire Council last month (October).
The development will see 142 private homes built and 12 affordable homes delivered for local people through rent or shared ownership.
The private homes will feature 50 one and two-bedroom apartments and 92 two, three and four-bedroom houses, while the affordable housing will consist of seven houses and five apartments.
The developer is already delivering 153 properties in phase one of its Bellway at Linmere development off Sundon Road.
Paul Smits, Managing Director of Bellway Northern Home Counties, said: “We are very pleased to be given planning permission to start work at this new site – our second development within the wider Linmere scheme on the edge of Houghton Regis.
“With work progressing well at our first phase site, we are proud to be the first housebuilder to deliver new homes here.
“This latest approval means we will be delivering more than 300 new homes as a part of this ambitious plan to bring much-needed new homes and investment into the local area. We can’t wait to get started on creating what will be another new neighbourhood at Linmere.”
Situated at the northern edge of Houghton Regis, Linmere is a major sustainable extension being delivered by The Houghton Regis Management Company (HRMC).
The wider Linmere development will contribute more than £36m towards local education, transport, open space and leisure facilities.
The scheme will also supply hundreds of jobs for local people. The supermarket chain Lidl has provided a new one million sq ft logistics warehouse next to the M1 as part of the first phase of the development, which will create up to 1,000 new jobs.
A selection of two-bedroom apartments and three-bedroom houses are currently available to reserve in the first phase at Bellway at Linmere, with prices starting at £227,500.
For more information about the development, call 01582 953878 or visit their Linmere sales website.
12 Feb 2022
Linmere developers mark National Apprenticeship Week by celebrating on-site trainees
The creators of the new Linmere village next to Houghton Regis are celebrating National Apprenticeship Week, whose theme for 2022 is, appropriately, ‘build the future.'
Several of the contractors working on the 650-acre development have been employing apprentices, many from the local area, who are learning important construction skills which will help them advance in their careers.
The annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships, run by the government's Education and Skills Funding Agency, showcases how apprenticeships have helped employers of all sizes and sectors, and people of all ages and backgrounds.
The week focuses on encouraging employers to promote the outstanding work in which their apprentices have been involved over the past year as well as highlighting the many benefits apprenticeships bring to businesses and to the individuals they appoint.
Two of the Linmere contractors joining the celebrations this week are construction firm Ashe, which carried out the design and build of the flagship community hub the Farmstead which was completed last month, and quantity surveyor WTP.
Around seven per cent of Ashe's workforce at Linmere and on other projects in the region are apprentices, and the firm aims to increase this figure to ten per cent during the coming year. At Linmere these include those working in steelwork, structural engineering, mechanical services, wall panelling, roofing and carpentry.
WTP's trainee quantity surveyor Will Kelly, who has been working with the company since October 2019, has recently completed a degree with the University College of Estates Management Reading via the apprenticeship route, and is currently working towards his chartership.
Linmere development director Ben Phillips said: "We're delighted to be playing a role in supporting people to train for a rewarding career through working with contractors who are dedicated to taking on apprentices as part of a structured training programme."
Around 5,150 homes will be built over the next 15 years by the Linmere consortium which comprises master planners Lands Improvement, Aviva Investors, and the Diocese of St Albans.
A third of the overall Linmere site will not be developed and will be managed in a way that allows natural habitats to thrive.
Linmere will see the creation of two new state of the art primary schools and an extension to Houghton Regis' existing Thornhill Primary school. A ten-form secondary school will open in 2022/3.
11 Mar 2022
Linmere development welcomes its first residents
The first residents have moved into a brand-new community being created on the edge of Houghton Regis.
Bellway has welcomed buyers into the first completed homes at Linmere, a new neighbourhood which will eventually consist of 5,150 homes, schools, shops, community facilities and more than 90 acres of public outdoor space.
The housebuilder is delivering 153 properties in phase one of its Bellway at Linmere development off Sundon Road, which represents the first stage of housing within the wider scheme.
Bellway also has planning permission to build a second phase of 154 homes after acquiring another parcel of land within the site.
Luke Southgate, Sales Director for Bellway Northern Home Counties, said: “Welcoming the first buyers into their homes at Linmere was an especially proud moment for us, as it marked the birth of a brand-new community in Houghton Regis.
“It is a huge honour and privilege to be delivering the very first homes at Linmere, an ambitious project which aims to set the standard for mixed-use residential neighbourhoods, and that sense of excitement is shared by residents who have moved to the development.
“We have now handed over the keys to 23 homes at Linmere, while a further 42 properties have been reserved ahead of their completion. We are providing a varied mix of one and two-bedroom apartments and three and four-bedroom houses to attract a range of buyers with the aim of creating a diverse and sustainable community.
“A three-bedroom show home is open for viewings and with the development beginning to take shape, visitors to Linmere can now get a real sense of what life will be like in this newly created neighbourhood.”
Located at the northern edge of Houghton Regis, Linmere is a major sustainable extension being delivered by The Houghton Regis Management Company (HRMC).
A new Lidl supermarket located within the site opened its doors earlier last year, while The Farmstead, a community hub comprising a café, hall and retail outlets, is due to open this year.
Lee Perkin, a first-time buyer who has become one of the first residents to move into a home at Linmere with Bellway, has praised the developer for their support along the journey to homeownership.
“They have been magnificent,” he said. “I saw the Bellway development online and got in touch and they have been amazing right from the outset.
“Deborah in the sales team at the development has been wonderful. She has repeatedly gone over and above to help me during and after my move. We are still in touch now and it’s very reassuring to know I can just reach out if I have a problem.
“They say that the home is where the heart is and that rings true for me now. I have never been happier.”
A selection of two-bedroom apartments, plus three and four-bedroom houses, are currently available at Bellway at Linmere, with prices starting at £227,500.
For more information about the development, call 01582 953878 or visit the Bellway website.
28 Mar 2022
First properties to go on sale at new 154-home development in Houghton Regis
Bellway will release the first homes at its Linmere Gateway development in Houghton Regis onto the market this month (March).
The housebuilder is providing a further 154 homes at the development off Sundon Road - its second site within the wider 5,000-home Linmere project taking shape at the northern edge of the town.
Construction work is well underway on the Linmere Gateway site after plans for the scheme were approved by Central Bedfordshire Council in October 2021.
The development will include 142 properties for private sale and 12 affordable homes for rent or shared ownership.
Bellway is already in the process of building 153 homes at its nearby Bellway at Linmere development, the first residential phase to be delivered by any housebuilder within the wider Linmere site.
The project is set to provide around 5,000 new homes and community facilities set within 190 acres of andscaped parkland as well as an investment of £36 million in local services from developer contributions.
Luke Southgate, Sales Director at Bellway Northern Home Counties said, “Our work in Linmere has excited much interest from buyers during the last 12 months, and half of the homes at our first development within the wider neighbourhood have now been sold.
“People who buy a home at Linmere Gateway will therefore be joining what is already becoming a thriving new community on the edge of Houghton Regis. The development is proving popular because of the easy access to the M1 for commuters, the wide range of schools and other educational establishments within walking distance and the acres of green space within the site.
“Linmere Gateway will be situated near the centre of the wider development, with the newly created green spaces of Ouzel Linear Park to the north and Linmere Park to the east. It will also be close to the Farmstead, the community hub with a café, dog groomer and play park which is now open.
“The design and range of the homes at Linmere Gateway will be similar to those at our first development, with a mix of houses and apartments to meet the varied needs of buyers. Unlike the first phase, it will also include a selection two-bedroom houses to cater for first-time buyers, downsizers and young families.”
Linmere Gateway will feature a range of one and two-bedroom apartments and two, three and four-bedroom houses. A showhome will open at the site this summer.
For more information about the development, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/northern-home-counties/linmere-gateway.
4 Apr 2022
New Home for London Finance Expert
Finance expert Lee Perkin has left London life behind to return to his provincial roots in Bedfordshire.
29-year-old Lee has been able to afford to buy his own home in Houghton Regis thanks to the Government’s Help to Buy scheme – and saving hard during the coronavirus lockdown.
Lee, who was renting a flat-share in Walthamstow in East London, saved enough money to fund a deposit on a three-bedroom home at the Bellway at Linmere development, off Sundon Road, using Help to Buy.
The initiative allows first-time buyers to purchase a new-build home with a five per cent deposit and a 75 per cent mortgage, with the remaining 20 per cent provided in the form of an equity loan, interest-free for five years.
Lee’s savings were boosted by up to £400 a month due to the national restrictions which saw him work from home and have to stay indoors for most of the day.
“When the lockdown came and I had to work from home I was saving about £200 a month on commuting costs and with the reduced social spending and retail shutdown I managed to save about £400 a month,” said Lee.
“Those savings combined with the much-reduced deposit I was allowed to put forward through the Help to Buy initiative allowed me to get this amazing house back in the area where I grew up and where all my family and friends live.
“I had a great time doing the London life for six years but I had always intended to return to my roots and luckily I was able to. The Help to Buy scheme and the fact that I saved lots of money by having to stay at home allowed me to get a deposit together.
“Those two factors speeded up the process whereby I bought my own home. Without those two boosts I could have been waiting for years to get a deposit together.”
Lee said he was already aware of the Help to Buy scheme but that Bellway helped guide him through it.
“The staff at Bellway were great and helped smooth the process and allow me to buy my dream home,” he said. “Without the initiative, I would never have been able to buy this house and there was no way I could afford anything like it in London.”
Lee paid £310,000 for a semi-detached three-bedroom Tailor home, moving into his new home in September.
“I had been paying £650 a month including bills to share a two-bedroom flat in London and now I have to pay £820 a month mortgage but it’s definitely worth the increase,” he said. “Renting had its purposes, I loved both living in London and with a friend, but now I am investing in my own home and future, and can call myself a homeowner, which feels great.
“That sounds very grown-up, but I guess I had to become an adult one day! Knowing that this house is actually mine feels slightly surreal and gives me a buzz every day. When I go to work, or away, I almost instantly can’t wait to be back here.
“I grew up in Dunstable and the best thing about living here is that I am so close to family and friends. When I lived in London they had to come to see me or I had to go to see them but now they are minutes away.”
Lee, who lives alone and works mainly from home, has to commute to the office in Slough once a week.
“It took me about an hour and a half from Walthamstow, and it’s now about an hour so there’s also a time saving there. I have converted one of the spare bedrooms into my office, it’s great to have that designated space because when work is done I can shut the door and that’s that.
“As I reserved the house off-plan, I was able to choose many things such as the flooring, kitchen cupboards, worktops and tiling in the bathroom so it feels like I have already put a bit of my own stamp on the place, but I will be decorating in the future to really make this house my home.”
Lee said he would not hesitate to recommend Bellway to family and friends.
“They have been magnificent, 10/10 customer service,” he said. “I saw the Bellway development online and got in touch and they have been amazing right from the outset.
“Deborah in the sales team at the development has been wonderful. She has repeatedly gone over and above to help me during and after my move. We are still in touch now and it’s very reassuring to know I can just reach out if I have a problem.
“I’ve also been really impressed with the site team, they’re really friendly and can’t do enough for you. From lending me skips on moving in day, to checking in numerous times to see if all is going well.
“They say that the home is where the heart is and that rings true for me now. I have never been happier.”
There’s currently a selection of two-bedroom apartments and three and four-bedroom houses available at Bellway at Linmere, with prices starting at £227,500.
For more information about new homes at Bellway at Linmere call the sales team on 01582 953878 or visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/northern-home-counties/bellway-at-linmere.
The new Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme was launched on 1 April 2021. It is for first-time buyers and includes regional property price limits to ensure the scheme reaches people who need it most.
The new scheme will run until March 2023. As with the previous scheme, the government will lend homebuyers up to 20% of the cost of a newly built home, and up to 40% in London.
The previous Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme ran until March 2021.
Learn more at https://www.ownyourhome.gov.uk/scheme/help-to-buy-2021-2023/
6 July 2022
Linmere AMP4 Exhibition Ahead
Linmere are moving ahead with plans for AMP4, the next tranche of land to be developed between Tithe Farm and the A5 dual carriageway, in Houghton Regis.Public are invited to attend an exhibition to be held on Thursday 14th July from 12.30 to 5.30 pm at Linmere Farmstead, Huckett Street (off Sundon Road and next to the new Lidl), Houghton Regis, LU5 5GX.
August 2022
Bellway: Medical student helps family find dream home in Houghton Regis
Having lived with her parents in rented accommodation in London for more than a decade, medical student Astha Patel went looking for a home the family could call their own.
Her parents Tushar and Dipika both work night shifts so never had time for house-hunting, but the 21-year-old was determined to help them all move out of the rented two-bedroom back-to-back in Stanmore where they lived at the time.
After extending her search beyond the fringes of London, she found Bellway at Linmere, in the Bedfordshire town of Houghton Regis, where the family was able buy a three-bedroom house. They moved into their new home in December 2021 and are thrilled with the space and peace they can now enjoy.
Astha said: “Buying our own home is an amazing achievement, especially as we have worked so hard to get here. I feel a real sense of accomplishment.
“The development and the house is great! I chose the Tailor house type because of its layout. I love the kitchen and dining area – it’s open-plan and spacious and has a really nice feel to it.
“It is a huge difference to the property we previously lived in, where we were really struggling. It wasn’t a nice environment. I used to cry in my room about it, which is why I decided to do something about it.
“The day we got our keys was like a dream come true. Sometimes even now it doesn’t feel real – it’s amazing.”
The Patels moved to the UK from India in 2009 and had rented in London since then. Dad Tushar works as a DHL warehouse operative while mum Dipika is a health care assistant and they both now commute into London from Houghton Regis for their jobs.
Astha is currently studying medicine online and will soon be moving abroad to finish her studies.
The family had saved up a £69,000 deposit and as first-time buyers, were able to use the Government’s Help to Buy scheme, which meant they could take advantage of a 20 per cent equity loan, interest-free for the first five years, towards the £320,000 purchase price of their new home.
Astha said, “We had been saving and planning for many years and we had Bellway on our radar for a long time.
“Our budget was tight, so we had to keep extending our search radius outside of London until we came across Bedfordshire. The first development we found that we loved was Bellway’s Brambleside, but that was slightly out of our price range.
“We visited the development and looked at Bellway’s properties and loved them so knew we wanted to live on a similar development.”
Tushar said: “This move was only possible because of my daughter and with the help of Bellway. We used the Government’s Help to Buy scheme, which also allowed us to purchase this property. Everything was easy to understand and ran smoothly, thanks to the help from the Bellway staff members and sales advisors.
“We would really recommend others to use this scheme as it allows you to get a lot more for your money – we were pleasantly surprised by what we were able to buy.”
Help to Buy, which ends in Spring 2023, enables first-time buyers to purchase a new-build home with just a five per cent deposit and a 75 per cent mortgage – the remaining 20 per cent is provided as a Government-backed equity loan, which is interest-free for five years. The regional price cap for Bedfordshire is £407,400.
Astha said: “We worked really closely with Deborah, as she was the sales advisor at both Brambleside and at Bellway at Linmere, so it was amazing to have someone who had been with us throughout the whole process. She has helped us from the start of our journey.
“Deborah went above and beyond and gave us advice that we wouldn’t have otherwise known.”
Tushar said: “The location of this development is beautiful. We have no noise or air pollution here and it is always so nice and quiet – it’s lovely and peaceful.”
Bellway at Linmere, once complete, will feature a collection of one and two-bedroom apartments, as well as three and four-bedroom houses. There is currently a selection of three and four-bedroom properties available to reserve, with prices starting from £377,500.
For more information, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/northern-home-counties/bellway-at-linmere or call the sales office on 01582 953878.
August 2022
Barratts Inspires The Next Generation Of Architects, Site Managers And Engineers
Hoping to promote careers in the construction industry, local housebuilder Barratt Homes has donated 30 educational books to pupils from Chalton Lower School, which is located nearby the housebuilder’s Linmere development in Betony Meadow, Houghton Regis.The “We Can Build” books were written by graduates from Barratt’s ASPIRE programme to celebrate the students’ involvement in the Prince’s Trust Million Makers Challenge. The Prince’s Trust believes that every young person should have the chance to embrace exciting opportunities. It helps connect 11 to 30-year-olds with mentors, and provides career opportunities, as well as pathways into inspiring futures.
The books include a diverse line-up of characters and a child-friendly insight into housebuilding. It takes children through the process of building the house whilst highlighting all the different professions involved.
Marc Woolfe, Head of Sales for Barratt North Thames, commented: “Primary school pupils are at an age where they are starting to think about what they want to do in the future, and discovering what they are passionate about. This book offers an insight into how exciting and versatile the construction industry is. We really hope that the books will inspire the pupils to consider a career in the construction industry.”
Elizabeth Noble, Headteacher at Chalton Lower School, commented: “We are always looking to inspire our pupils, so we were very excited to receive this donation. The book is very engaging, so the children were able to learn all the different stages of building a house in a simple and fun way.”
Barratt North Thames is currently building new homes at Linmere. Current availability includes a collection of one-bedroom apartments, and three and four-bedroom homes, with prices starting from £219,000 for a one-bedroom apartment.
To find out more about Linmere, visit www.barratthomes.co.uk or call 0333 3558 500.
