Aylesbury Mayor visits Kingsbrook to see new COVID-19 Safety Measures

Five star housebuilder Barratt Homes recently welcomed the Mayor of Aylesbury, Councillor Mike Smith, to one of its developments to see the new safety measures that have been put in place following the Coronavirus pandemic.

Councillor Smith attended Kingsbrook, a flagship development built in partnership with the RSPB, to see first-hand the work implemented by the housebuilder to ensure Buckinghamshire homebuyers can move and staff can work on site safely.

Barratt spent the last few weeks carefully designing revised protocols and procedures so that it would be ready to open its doors at the Burcott Lane development when given the green light.

The Mayor met with Simon Francis, Managing Director of Barratt Homes North Thames, to learn more about the range of safety measures and new working procedures which meet or exceed government, industry and public health agency advice.

The measures include protective Perspex screens, retractable barriers, strict social distancing and, where necessary, personal protective equipment (PPE), plus intercom systems and door locks to enable customers to engage with sales teams before entering offices.

He was also able to see how Buckinghamshire homebuyers will now be able to reserve a new property after meeting with Sales Director Karly Williams, Sales Manager Louise Ballmann and Sales Adviser Sam D’Costa.

Councillor Smith then went on to visit the newly installed swift sculpture at the development which represents the new community’s commitment to wildlife, before meeting with the site team to see how construction work is being carried out with the new measures.

Commenting on his visit, the Mayor said: “I have seen many new developments in and around Aylesbury over the years, from planning applications on paper to seeing them completed and new communities forming and growing. Kingsbrook always stood out from the pack due to the very substantial amount of green space being retained. 

“Seeing it now, that commitment has become reality, with plenty of open space and welcome tranquillity, even in and around what is already becoming a vibrant and busy local centre. I’m so pleased to welcome all these new residents to our area and wish them all happy and healthy times as part of our community.

“I was also really impressed by the range of measures to keep everyone – workforce, customers and existing residents – really safe whilst keeping the work going to enable more new residents to move into their new homes at the earliest practical opportunity.”

Whilst at the development, Councillor Smith was delighted to launch the housebuilder’s community time capsule, which will capture ‘life during lockdown at Kingsbrook’, by contributing a copy of Aylesbury Town Matters, a book about the town and a welcome card signed by himself.

The housebuilder recently invited residents at the development to bring in their own contributions and fill out activity booklets to put in the Kingsbrook time capsule which represent and capture their life during an uncertain time.

Simon Francis said: “As we have now carefully re-opened our sales centre following the government’s decision to unlock the property market, we were delighted to show Councillor Smith the new measures in place to help people move home.

“As a responsible homebuilder, the safety of our employees and customers remains our number one priority, and as demonstrated during the visit, we have adapted our sales and site office to accommodate the social distancing guidelines.”

Kingsbrook won a silver award for ‘Best Public Realm’ at the WhatHouse Awards 2019 in recognition of the work that the housebuilder has done alongside the RSPB and Aylesbury District Council to create an environmentally friendly housing development which encourages nature to flourish.

Around 60% of Kingsbrook is made up of green space. As well as an orchard, this includes ponds, parks, meadows and nature reserve. These features have been implemented to cultivate a sanctuary for wildlife and to create spaces where people and nature can exist harmoniously.

Throughout the development there are plenty of native planting and ecological features such as bird and bat boxes, swift bricks and wildlife corridors.

To book an appointment to view Kingsbrook and find out more about the homes now available, visit www.barratthomes.co.uk or call the sales team on 0333 355 8500.