Design Buy Build Issue 36 2019 | Page 82

Life on another level Amid the Government’s promise to deliver 300,000 new homes per year in England by the mid 2020s and the ever increasing demand for affordable housing, property remains well and truly at the top of the political agenda. Most recently, Professor Sir Roger Scruton has been appointed to chair a new Government commission that will consider the aesthetics of buildings, including the material they are built with, their appeal and their size in order to harmonise with the urban environment ensuring they are built to last and that new homes are places for communities to live in. But, with the requirement to preserve the Green Belt in the most in demand areas and, by association, limited land availability, developers and planners are going to have to think outside the box to create exquisite homes in areas which are already high in density. One way of achieving this, and preserving the all important feeling of community, is to consider the construction of town houses. Built on smaller plots, if designed well, the town house can offer practical, secure and convenient living accommodation. This is something which design led developer, Bewley Homes is championing at two of its current development sites – Reading Gateway in the highly competitive area of Reading, 82 Berkshire and Jubilee Meadows on the edge of the in demand area of Walton on Thames in Surrey. Both Reading and Walton on Thames offer superb commuter links into central London in well under half an hour, giving them great appeal for those who need to travel into the Capital for work. Brett Reeves, Sales Manager at Bewley Homes, says: “There are so many advantages to living in a town house. First and foremost, they tend to be incredibly private dwellings in terms of layout. This is particularly the case with bedroom and bathroom configuration which is often over a couple of floors.