Unprecedented demand for insulating materials following the Grenfell Tower fire is leading to supply delays for the developer of Hexham’s luxury apartment scheme, The Wool House, but nonetheless, the show apartment will be open to view the Easter holiday week.
Remedial works on existing buildings up and down the country have created massive demand for the whole range of insulation materials, leading to market saturation.
“It is very frustrating”, says development director, Bob Skelly, “just as we are reaching the final stages of our construction programme, but of course, for the safety of all our buyers, we must comply with all relevant legislation.
“We are working as fast as we can, but the delays mean that we are having to reschedule our construction programme so that practical completion of the site may well be held up by around three months over what we were anticipating – which was the end of April. However, I am confident that we will be able to open our show apartment doors to the public by Easter.”
The luxury scheme, which features forty-five one and two-bedroom apartments, duplexes and penthouse apartments over six floors, provides a superb choice for buyers with seven repeated styles and fourteen one-off apartment types. The views from Haugh Lane benefit from an outlook across the valley and the Gilesgate aspect looks onto gardens, or south, to Hexham Abbey and the town centre.
Mr Skelly continued: “We now have 10 reservations and there is strong demand from the local market. Our apartments benefit from the artistic flair of Dakota, House of Design, a local, award-winning interior design consultancy. We are installing high quality, German kitchens by Beckermann, complete with a range of Bosch domestic appliances and Karndean flooring, while the bathrooms, ensuites, WCs and tiling are all by the market-leading brand, Porcelanosa.
“All apartments are available with on-site parking and electric vehicle charging points, available by separate negotiation, private, landscaped gardens and a secure video entry system, so The Wool House is a popular choice with a wide range of buyers.”
Floors one to five feature a range of one and two-bedroom apartments, some with French doors and Juliet balconies, while others have patios or terraced areas. On floor six are the penthouse apartments.
Pedestrian access to The Wool House is on Gilesgate, through a boutique hotel-style entrance lobby with comfortable seating and planters while the Haugh Lane entrance is for both pedestrian and vehicular access.
YoungsRPS on Priestpopple is the estate agent marketing the development. William Thornton, Head of Residential, commented: “Whilst it is a challenging market in many parts of the country, we are continuing to see strong demand for apartments at The Wool House, which is indicative of their overall unique and convenient setting as well as the high standard and well-planned accommodation on offer.
“We will begin making appointments for accompanied viewings for the Easter week commencing Thursday 28th March. Preference will be given to those who have already reserved a property, thereafter, it will be on a first come, first served basis. Viewings will be strictly by appointment only.”
Mr Skelly added: “We are expecting supply issues to ease in the near future, which will help us to move forward, and we will be emailing all those on our database to keep them fully informed of progress.”
Prices start at £160k for a one-bedroom apartment and at £265K for a two-bedroom apartment.
For more information, call YoungsRPS on 01434 608980.