Apartments in the city where you can't hear your neighbours, where your air has been filtered, and which are 10 per cent bigger than the average. Oh, and also painted in Farrow & Ball. Sounds like London? No, Conisford Court in Norwich has just launched for the buyer who 'likes the best of everything' - but priced from £170,000. Property editor Caroline Culot went to take a look.
I remember reporting on the first £1 million penthouse as part of the Read's Mill development 11 years ago and it's fascinating to see how developers have created more apartments across the city over the years driven by the need for more new homes and the desire of many to live in the heart of Norwich, where the action really is. However, this latest development has been unashamedly built with the idea of pleasing the exacting buyer who wants 'the best of everything.'
So, it was with enormous interest that I visited Conisford Court on Rose Lane, a part of the city which in recent years has seen much improvement with old office blocks turned into swanky apartments and the Rooftop Gardens complex.
Conisford Court has been built by Circlet Homes with 26 apartments priced from £170,000 to £600,000 with Savills New Homes on 01603 229229 or 01603 229244.
So, in a city full of ongoing sites, how does a developer create something different?
John Fuller, with his developer hat on, together with local builder George Wilson have created 26 apartments; 16 with two bedrooms, eight with one bedroom and two penthouses.
This build is completely new, not converted from existing stock nor old office buildings, enabling standards to exceed the norm.
For a start, it's built from fire protected British steel, physically stronger than concrete and boasts technology using air gaps between the apartments which means you can't hear your neighbour walking across their floor when they get in late at night and equally your heat doesn't escape to next door.
This is a residential only development so everything has been designed for living in the most luxurious way possible - all apartments have underfloor heating so no radiators and a communal boiler system means that each apartment has as much hot water it needs 24/7 - it will never run out. The windows are triple glazed so you don't hear traffic noise and safety and security is paramount with a key fob entry system - the lift will take you to your floor only - and car parking (every two bedroom apartment comes with parking) is done by number plate recognition. The development is exclusively for private buyers and there is no help to buy available.
Mr Fuller and Mr Wilson have also cherry picked the best teams - Feilden + Mawson architects, based in Cambridge, designed each apartment to be 10 per cent bigger than the average. 'We've used some of the best architects and the finest materials to create a development, the like of which is most normally only found in London. It is a step change in comfort,' said Mr Fuller.
Much attention to detail has been given throughout - for instance, a system filters the air you breathe, eradicating allergens and each apartment comes with wiring for satellite and IT systems making these a great place to be able to work from home in and with added insulation, the running costs are lower.
And - wait for it, each one is painted with Farrow & Ball!
Take a look outside and note the brickwork - the bricks used were double fired, meaning they don't absorb moisture like normal ones, making them more durable and spot the textured brickwork which just adds detail, created by artisan bricklayers, as well as the window projections in zinc and the iron, not plastic, pipework. I was given a tour around the penthouses - which boast enormous balconies. You'd imagine they would be noisy but they are so high that you just don't hear it and of course you can take in a view which spans from the cathedral to the castle. However, I also saw apartments on the lower floors, some which boast large windows jutting out into bays and yes, the kitchens which are in the penthouses are the same as in the lower priced properties.
There will even be a concierge in the mornings who will take deliveries.
This is another fantastic development for Norwich, another way we are enhancing the city for the future and you don't have to take my word for it as there is an open day tomorrow, Saturday.
About 12 of the apartments have already been reserved so contact Savills New Homes for more information on 01603 229229 or see www.savills.co.uk or www.conisfordcourt.co.uk
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