- New homes at Elements see Crest Nicholson putting sustainable design into practice -

For the second year running, Crest Nicholson has emerged as one of the UK's leading housebuilders in terms of its commitment to sustainable development. According to a report published this week by NextGeneration entitled 'Laying Firm Foundations', Crest Nicholson has been ranked among the top two of the UK's 25 largest residential developers in addressing sustainability issues and building more eco-friendly homes.

NextGeneration is an independent review that aims to drive best practice by encouraging the residential sector to embrace more sustainable design and delivery. With the government calling for all new homes to be zero-carbon by 2016, the NextGeneration benchmarking system provides housebuilders with a means of reviewing operations against their peers and developing new and innovative ways to respond to the challenges of climate change.

As one of the leaders in this year's benchmark, Crest Nicholson has been recognised for the quality of its sustainable design standards, having been involved in delivering some of the most innovative projects built in the UK to date.

Elements in Epsom is one such flagship scheme where the benefits of using eco-design techniques are clear. Comprising 322 homes, they have been designed specifically to help reduce carbon emissions and cut energy use, featuring air source heat pumps, water butts and recycling bins as part of the meticulous design to meet one of the highest Eco-Homes standards. With 20 per cent of energy generated from on-site renewable sources, residents at the stunning development could be enjoying lower energy bills as a result.

Incorporating sustainable technologies has been estimated to reduce energy bills by as much as 25%, but equally important is the way in which the homes at Elements have been integrated as part of a genuinely sustainable community. As part of the scheme's sustainable commitments the development will feature a green travel plan. Cycle routes will be created to encourage a healthier lifestyle and there will also be a bus route running through the development, which Crest Nicholson will be urging prospective home owners to use, along with the convenient local rail services within easy reach.

As Tracey Brady, Sales and Marketing Director at Crest Nicholson South, said: “Developing eco-friendly and sustainable homes is something that we place a huge amount of emphasis upon, but it's important that alongside all of the new technologies being used, the homes are also beautifully designed, attractive and geared towards meeting the needs of everyday living. Most importantly, we aim to make implementing a sustainable lifestyle much easier for our customers to enjoy on a daily basis, and the homes at Elements exemplify this approach perfectly.”

Homes at Elements will also meet the Government's Lifetime Homes Standards, which means that homes are designed to be adaptable throughout an entire lifetime, reducing the need to move or for home help. The housing design therefore incorporates features for wheelchair accessibility, the benchmark for good space requirement, such as WC's with appropriate access and doors with level thresholds for parents with pushchairs and small children as well as wheelchair users. Doors and stairs will also incorporate provision for a future stair lift installation.

Elements is conveniently situated to offer excellent road and rail links to central London, yet is situated within close proximity to the beautiful Surrey countryside to the South of Epsom for homeowners looking to enjoy the great outdoors. The site is a short distance from Epsom Common and Horton Country Park while Epsom Downs and its iconic race course are also in close proximity. For commuters Ewell West Station and Epsom Station are within a short distance of the development with train journeys into London taking as little as 35 minutes. Excellent road links to the M25 and the A3 are also within easy reach from the development.

Prices at Elements start at £294,995 for a two bedroom house, £334,995 for a three bedroom house and £399,995 for a four bedroom house. For further information please contact Crest Nicholson on 0870 751 3958 or visit www.crestnicholson.com/elements.