Developer with diverse team combines sustainability with profitability
Socially progressive and sustainable homebuilder, Placemakers, is delighted to announce the sales launch of its Beulah Hill, Crystal Palace development of eight townhouses scheduled for completion in the autumn. The first of Placemakers’ three current developments to complete, these exceptional family homes demonstrate the developer’s commitment to designing and building future proofed homes and delivering added value to buyers without compromising on profitability.
The company is determined that, as a responsible developer, it can create sustainable homes to the highest environmental standards, drive social value in the communities it works in, and deliver solid risk managed returns for its investment partners.
Uniquely, Placemakers homes are designed and built to meet or exceed the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Future Homes 2030 Challenge whilst delivering equity returns in excess of 15% p.a. Placemakers’ flagship project in Beulah Hill, Crystal Palace will achieve the RIBA Future Homes Challenge with an A-rated EPC and the development is being marketed through Knight Frank, the UK’s leading independent real estate consultancy.
Ken Drumm, Founder, commented: “Placemakers’ emphasis on sustainability means that we deliver built assets that are already a decade ahead in terms of their environmental credentials, providingprotection to both homebuyers and our investment partners. We have changed the narrative to demonstrate that our approach of combining sustainability and profitability makes perfect business sense.”
The team assembled by Placemakers is critical to achieving its goals, with deep expertise in sustainable development and attention to quality. The team specialises in identifying commercially viable homebuilding projects whilst limiting any environmental impact through sustainable design, sustainable procurement, and sustainable construction methods.
By adopting this approach, Placemakers is setting new standards in both the reduction of energy during the construction process, and in the energy performance of its homes, incorporating ultra-efficient air source heat pump systems, rainwater recycling, electrical vehicle charging points, and solar panels.
Drumm added: “The industry perception sometimes holds that as developers increase their costs in delivering future proofed homes, these costs are not recovered in their sales prices. It is our view that by not striving for high standards of sustainability, value is threatened by obsoletion and ‘whole life’ maintenance costs. Our homes protect our buyers, investors, and financial partners from such inevitable risks.”
“We focus on innovation and are leading the way in constructing future-proofed homes with a reduced impact on the environment. Our experience not only showcases the remarkable technologies and building techniques available industry-wide, but also sets an example by raising the bar. We demonstrate that our model is not only economically viable, but that it also makes excellent business sense.”
There is also a social cornerstone to Placemakers’ business, which partners with local authorities and originates work opportunities for the communities where it buildsby supporting local enterprise and by prioritising procurement within a 25 mile radius of a site. The company also creates other opportunities for young people, including apprenticeships, and actively promotes women in construction.
Drumm points out the role that diversity plays in their business: “We set out to assemble a team with a variety of experiences, outlooks, and philosophies and this has helped us to work with our stakeholders to challenge conventional thinking, respond to the priorities we have set, and challenge industry constraints in inventive ways. Our approach underpins and enhances our primary objective: to build desirable homes and to deliver risk managed and attractive returns for all our stakeholders.”
Commenting on the company’s Beulah Hill, Crystal Palace development, Christopher Burton, Partner and Head of Knight Frank’s Dulwich office said: “We are delighted to be appointed on this exceptional boutique development, offering a beautiful collection of family homes in a consistently sought-after location. A real point of difference for this scheme is its energy efficiency, which has become a real priority for buyers – with 86% of respondents to Knight Frank’s latest UK sentiment survey rating it as either very important or important – so it’s fantastic to see how these future proofed homes incorporate the latest sustainable materials and technology.”
