Auction centre launch
18 January 2008



William H Brown announced this week it is opening a new auction centre in Norwich as part of the expansion of its business. SIMON ARNES, divisional managing director, talks about the new venture.

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Being one of the largest property auctioneers in the UK, selling more than £323m worth last year as part of Sequence, William H Brown has announced it is opening a new auction centre to cover East Anglia. Divisional managing director Simon Arnes, pictured, will be the auctioneer and after celebrating 35 years at William H Brown, he is really looking forward to the new challenge.

He said: "I originally began my career in auctions and it's something that has always been close to my heart. As well as my own experience, we have a team here in Norwich and six other centres around the country to help support this new opening. This includes our operation trading as Barnard Marcus in London, which is one of the most respected auction centres in the UK, with access to thousands of investors home and abroad."

As recently reported by EDP Property, William H Brown has opened three residential sales branches in the past two years and recently picked up the Best Multi-Branch Agency Award at the Archant Property Awards 2007. The new auction centre is part of the planned growth and investment in the region and takes advantage of the increase in popularity of auctions as a means of buying and selling a property.

Mr Arnes said: "Today residential property auctions are more accessible and television programmes such as Property Ladder and Under the Hammer have helped to make auctions a less intimidating place for buyers."

"So much so, that our auction rooms are seeing a change in the profile of their audience. The lifeblood will always be the seasoned investor, however, we're seeing more people, such as first-time buyers, coming along to auctions as they look to alternative ways of buying a property.It's not just television shows encouraging people, though."

"The internet means people can search for properties more easily and house price increases have encouraged people to come along and see what is available. Also auctions are exciting; there's a great atmosphere in the auction room and once the hammer goes down, the deal is done avoiding all that stress and weeks of waiting that happens during a normal sale."


The first auction will take place at Barnham Broom Hotel & Country Club on Thursday, April 17, 2008 and if you'd like to talk to William H Brown about buying or selling a property at auction you can do so by calling 0845 6050062.

Firm floats new way of life on the waterfront

ALASDAIR MCGREGOR

26 January 2008 10:59


Forget a round-the-world cruise on the high seas - if you want some luxury living on the water, then Lake Lothing in Lowestoft could be the place to go. Instead of lily pads around the edges of the lake, deluxe pads are set to spring up courtesy of a developer who is looking to pioneer a new breed of water homes in the UK. David Beard, chairman of the Waterliving UK company, has been involved in high-level talks with the 1st East Urban Regeneration Company, which has been tasked with breathing new life into waterfront areas in Lowestoft and Yarmouth.

Now the idea of creating a community on the water could be realised after proposals to regenerate the rundown Brooke Peninsula were submitted to Waveney District Council - with water living playing a significant part in the plans. However, anyone interested in a new way of living will need to dig deep, with the water homes expected to go on the market for between £300,000 and £450,000.

Mr Beard said: “The water living concept is prestigious. They are really penthouses on water and are built to a very high specification. It is a Danish concept and I am now seeking to create communities on the water in the UK.” The application still needs to be given the go-ahead by planners at Waveney and the dream of water living in Lowestoft may take another three to five years to realise.

Those earning £16,000 - the average yearly salary in the county - could qualify for a 90pc discount on the land value of the house. This would fall to 70pc for someone earning £20,000.

The move, which was discussed by Norfolk County Council's cabinet yesterday, follows an extensive report by the council's scrutiny committee looking at how public authorities could breach the shortage of affordable homes in the county.

Cliff Jordan, a Breckland district and county councillor, came up with the idea which was then developed in detail by a scrutiny working group.

He said as well as providing sites, the partnership could 'buy' into housing schemes being built by private developers.

“We have got to do something radically different,� he said. “The problem we have got is low wages. This is giving them breathing space and helping them to help themselves. There is nothing like it on the market. It isn't just a Norfolk problem, but this is a Norfolk solution.

“You would have a mortgage of about £45,000 to £50,000 plus 10pc,� Mr Jordan added. “If you are on an average wage of £16,000-£17,000 you could afford a mortgage. You are on the ladder and away you go.�

The cost of living in Norwich has risen by an estimated 23pc in the past five years, despite the government's official rate of inflation being just 2.2pc, leaving many families in the county with major debts.

I'm holding out for the mother of all policy conjunctions aimed at helping ftbs (no stamp, grants etc) just as houseprices crap themselves and l end up with the steal of the millennia.

I've done my time, its my feckin turn now.

Will home inspire zero-carbon copies?

EMILY DENNIS

20 February 2008 08:38

From the outside it will look like any other normal family home.

But, once built, the three-bedroom property is likely to be the first occupied and constructed zero-carbon house in the country.

The South Norfolk Eco House project is the idea of Paul Bourgeois and his wife Janet, who plan to inhabit the “living laboratory” with their two children if their proposals are approved.

Eco-expert Mr Bourgeois, 33, hopes the scheme will provide a pioneering example of sustainable living and pave the way for people to learn about adopting a low-carbon lifestyle.

He hopes to build the home on a plot of land leased by the Norwich diocese at Little Melton, near Hethersett. It would be open to visitors 25 days a year and would include community and training space.

The house would be built mainly by hand to minimise the impact on the environment. A timber frame would form the basic structure, with locally- sourced materials, including hemp and straw bales, forming the outside walls. Solar panels in the roof would provide electricity and hot water, with additional energy being generated by a wind turbine.

Rainwater would be harvested and recycling techniques used before the water was treated in a dry reed bed.

Garden Organic, formerly the Henry Doubleday Research Association, has said it would like to create a national organic garden demonstration, and Easton College and Little Melton Primary School have expressed an interest in involving pupils and students in eco-education projects.

Mr Bourgeois used to work for Renewables East and has just completed a post-graduate research project at UEA looking at carbon and energy savings associated with loft and cavity wall insulation.