Hayfield acquires a residential site in Buckinghamshire to deliver a £19m development

Hayfield has acquired a prime 2.2 ha (5.5-acre) site in the village of Hanslope, which is within the Borough of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, in order to deliver 50 homes, Public Open Space and a fully equipped children’s play area.

The site was purchased with Outline Planning consent in place. Hayfield has submitted a Reserved Matters Application to Milton Keynes Council for 33 luxury homes, 17 affordable properties, landscaped Public Open Space, new public footpaths and a Locally Equipped Area for Play (LEAP). The scheme is within easy walking distance of the range of amenities within Hanslope’s historic village centre and the Ofsted Outstanding-rated Primary School.

Mark Booth, Managing Director of Hayfield said: “We are delighted to have been chosen to develop this £19million scheme, which will be our second development in Buckinghamshire – a county that we continue to actively target. This site ticks all the boxes for us, as we will be able to deliver luxury, eco-friendly homes in a beautiful semi-rural village that is popular with commuters working in Milton Keynes, Northampton and London. The historic village commands premium prices due to its excellent schooling, easy access to the great outdoors and the close proximity of Wolverton train station, which provides a direct regular service to London Euston in under 50 minutes.

“During the summer, we committed over £70million to three new site starts where construction work is progressing at pace. In total, we are currently delivering 554 luxury homes at eight schemes across Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire and Wiltshire. Despite the continual challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, the whole Hayfield team is working exceptionally hard to ensure the business is in the best position it has ever been in. Thanks to our enviable funding status, we are now looking ahead to next year’s pipeline and beyond with the acquisition of this site in Hanslope, and a number of others in prime locations across middle England where we are hopeful of agreeing terms in the coming weeks and months.”

Situated in the rural north of Milton Keynes, Hanslope is the fourth largest settlement outside the urban area of Milton Keynes, after Newport Pagnell, Olney and Woburn Sands. It is identified as a ‘Key Settlement’ in Milton Keynes’ Core Strategy Settlement Hierarchy, as the gradual expansion of the village can be achieved in a highly sustainable way. Hayfield’s site, located off Castlethorpe Road, is less than half a mile from the village centre and well-served by bus stops providing regular services to the neighbouring villages, Milton Keynes - located nine miles away, and Northampton - located 10 miles away.

Following the receipt of detailed planning approval, a new access road and footpaths will be created to adoptable standards from Castlethorpe Road, with the rest of the mature hedgerow surrounding the site retained and preserved. The two, three, four and five-bedroom executive houses and bungalows have been designed with a high degree of consideration to the local vernacular, with proposed features including brick detailing, traditional porches and quoining. The density of the development will be much lower than typical new build schemes, with open landscaped spaces, a SUDS balancing pond and a fully equipped children’s play area incorporated into the masterplan.

Hayfield’s Hanslope site – which will be known as Hayfield Walk – will be constructed with a high degree of cavity wall insultation to exceed current Building Regulations. Solar photovoltaic panels will be installed onto the roofs of a number of the properties, while all homes will benefit from ultra-fast electric car charging points, smart meters and energy-efficient underfloor heating.

Hayfield’s live sites include the flagship Hayfields site in Southmoor, Oxfordshire, which comprises 74 luxury homes. Also under construction in Oxfordshire is Hayfield Green, where 66 luxury houses and bungalows are being developed on a 21-acre disused RAF WWII Airfield in this historic village of Stanton Harcourt. In the small market town of Southam in Warwickshire, the final phase of Hayfield Grange is selling ahead of the build programme. The popular development comprises 51 family houses and bungalows.

In Bedfordshire, Hayfield is delivering 105 luxury homes close to English Heritage’s Grade I listed Wrest Park Estate, which is in the sought-after village of Silsoe. Seven miles away, in the traditional village of Clifton, the Hayfield Gate development is selling off-plan, comprising 95 luxury homes. New sites are currently in the early stages of construction in Great Gransden – Cambridgeshire, in Woburn Sands – Buckinghamshire, and in Blunsdon – Wiltshire.