First Residents Move Into Community Of New Homes In Dereham

A couple who were inspired to buy their new home after a family member bought one from the same house builder have received the keys to their brand-new house in Dereham – the first to move into a development of 216 new energy-efficient homes in the town.

David and Alice were presented with Champagne and flowers – along with their keys - by Abel Homes sales and marketing manager Clare Cornish and senior sales consultant Sally Walker, to help them celebrate moving into their home at The Carriages, on Swanton Road to the northeast of the town.

The couple decided to buy an Abel Home after a family member bought a new home built by the Norfolk-based builder – and highly recommended both the house and the experience.

“They love their house – and we do too – and they were very enthusiastic about the whole experience, so they said why don’t we go and have a look at an Abel home,” said Alice, who works for the SEND team at Norfolk County Council Children’s services. 

“We were impressed with the quality and the finishing, it was better than anything else we had seen from other builders.”

“We went and saw a couple of new homes at Cygnet Rise in Swaffham, but when we learned that they were going to be building in Dereham, we went straight there and got our reservation in,” added David, who before retiring was the manager at the Dereham branch of Tesco.

Welcoming the couple and handing over the keys, Abel Homes sales and marketing manager Clare Cornish said, “It is always such a delight to welcome people into their new home, and especially when they are the first ones to move onto a new site.

“We are thrilled that David and Alice chose Abel Homes on a recommendation from a family member who already lives in one – there is no more powerful selling point than the recommendation of a satisfied customer.

“We have always said that our business is not about bricks and mortar, but about creating new communities, and we have started to do that here at The Carriages today.”

Like all of the new homes at The Carriages, David and Alice’s house has the top ‘A’ rating for energy efficiency, including features such as photo-voltaic solar panels, air source heat pumps, underfloor heating, triple glazing and high levels of insulation.  Each home will also feature direct fibre broadband alongside an electric car charging point.

The new site will include public open spaces, including a multi-use games area, as well as a piece of public artwork commissioned from a local artist – something which Abel Homes has done on every site it has built since 2008.

More details about The Carriages can be found at www.abelhomes.co.uk.