Bargate Homes has achieved a coveted 2023 Gold Award for its customer satisfaction performance from specialist market research company, In-house Research.

The annual results are revealed to the national housebuilding community every March, based purely on customer feedback received through an independent telephone survey. In the survey year covering new home handovers from 1^st January 2022 to 31^st December 2022, 64% of Bargate Homes’ customers responded to the survey. Of those, 94% said they would recommend the premium housebuilder to their friends, colleagues, and family members.

Mark White, Managing Director for Bargate Homes, said: “Over the past 12 months, the housebuilding industry has continued to experience challenges with supply chain logistics and unforeseen delays to build programmes. During this time, it has been essential to have open and honest communication with all our customers. Every department within this business is focused on making sure our customers are delighted with their new Bargate Home, which is reflected within our ESG strategy.

“We have been using In-house to monitor our customer satisfaction rating for the past five years, and retaining our Gold Award status means the world to us. This accolade is the ultimate seal of approval from our customers. It reflects what they think of Bargate Homes across the whole experience – before, during and after their purchase. To achieve a 94% approval rating has taken hard work, skill and solid commitment from the entire team and I am immensely proud of the dedication shown.”

Established in 2006, Bargate Homes builds select developments in prime locations across Hampshire, Dorset, and West Sussex. The company is currently delivering 900 homes across six live developments and has a pipeline of future sites expected to deliver in excess of 2,500 new homes. The firm is a finalist in the 2023 Property Week RESI Awards for Small Developer of the Year (fewer than 1,000 homes per annum).

Tom Weston, Chief Executive at In-house Research comments, “It has been an extremely challenging few years for the house building industry.  Despite this, Bargate Homes has continued to put customers at the heart of its business, providing a personalised journey and supporting new homebuyers.

“It’s only through delivering an exceptional service throughout the buying process – combined with a high level of finish and build quality – that recommendation scores reach this level.  We are delighted to recognise all the staff at Bargate Homes that have contributed to the achievement of this award.”

Bargate Homes has recently opened the doors at its 34-acre Rivercross scheme in the Hampshire village of Warsash, unveiling two show homes in the process. The £128m development will create a total of 352 eco-focused homes, situated at the mouth of the River Hamble, less than a mile from the world-famous Warsash Maritime Academy.

The housebuilder has also recently opened the doors to its £18.2m St Thomas’ Mead development, located in the scenic suburb of Old Bedhampton, Hampshire, which is close to Langstone Harbour. Over 50% of the 50 homes have already sold off-plan. 

Earlier this year, two show homes were also unveiled at Heritage Place, which is positioned within the 120-acre (48.6 Ha) North Stoneham Park neighbourhood. Heritage Place is the final phase of the wider development which will feature 1,000 homes. Built on a former deer park on the outskirts of Eastleigh, Southampton, Bargate Homes’ £97m scheme will deliver 322 energy-efficient family homes.

In late 2022, the first tranche of homes was released for sale at the £32m Hamblewood development, located in the well-connected Hampshire town of Hedge End. A collection of Bargate’s 123 family houses and apartments are now ready to move into. 

Bargate Homes is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vivid – Hampshire’s largest provider of affordable homes.

Mark White, Managing Director for Hampshire-based premium housebuilder Bargate Homes, said: “If welcome announcements are not made during tomorrow’s Spring Budget address, the Chancellor risks stifling growth at a fragile time for the UK’s economy.

“If corporation tax is to rise from 19% to 25%, businesses need the opportunity to make more profit to fund it. If housebuilders could build more homes, we could make more profit and tax revenue. However, the planning and environmental policy changes are achieving the total opposite. For this government to stay in power beyond the next election, it needs to promote housebuilding. It is such a huge and vital industry that supports the wider economy, and the lack of appropriate, sustainable, and affordable housing may become an increasingly divisive political issue.

“We took a look at our own numbers for January and February and found it alarming that only 8% of Bargate’s homes have been sold to first time buyers over those two months. This is a 50% reduction in first time buyer sales, compared to those same two months in 2022. Meanwhile, rents are going up disproportionately to inflation, which is making it harder for people to save for a deposit, and yet, with the end of Help to Buy, mortgage deposit requirements are higher than they have been for well over a decade. It is very unhealthy for thousands of would be first time buyers to drop out of the market. Help to Buy worked well. Why wouldn’t you reintroduce it?     

“Feed-in tariffs should be reintroduced for homeowners with solar panels, to reward people for supplying renewable energy back to the grid. Tax breaks for investing in renewable energy generation and smart home technology would also deliver a clear and very welcome message.

“There would be absolutely no benefit at all in going through with April’s proposed change to the energy bill support scheme. Jeremy Hunt must also keep to the status quo regarding fuel duty tax and not increase it, as it would have a catastrophic impact on food, and raw material costs at a time when supplies are already limited, and inflation needs to be curtailed.

“The government wants to lure early retirees back to work, but we see far more benefit in incentivising businesses to train and employ young people. We passionately believe in the future generation and want to overcome the perception that housebuilding isn’t as fashionable or as lucrative as other professions. New tax credits to train and transition students to work across various skilled site and office-based roles would encourage housebuilders to make a significant investment and allocate the right resources. Now is the time for the government to think about the next decade, not just the next political event.”

Bargate Homes is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vivid – Hampshire’s largest provider of affordable homes. Established in 2006, the company builds select developments in prime locations across Hampshire, Dorset, and West Sussex. The company is currently delivering 900 homes across six live developments and has a pipeline of future sites expected to deliver in excess of 2,500 new homes.

Bargate Homes has opened two show homes at Heritage Place in Hampshire, with interiors designed by The Garden Society. The scheme is positioned within the 120-acre (48.6 Ha) North Stoneham Park neighbourhood.

Heritage Place is the final phase of the wider development which will feature 1,000 homes. Built on a former deer park on the outskirts of Eastleigh, Southampton, Bargate Homes’ £97m scheme will deliver 322 eco-focused family homes, with prices ranging from £485,000 to £715,000. Part-Exchange and Assisted Move packages are available to qualifying purchasers.

A collection of semi-detached and detached homes are under construction on the site. All homes at Heritage Place will be EPC-B rated, meaning residents will benefit from a lower carbon footprint, energy savings, and access to Green Mortgage rates.

The scheme will consist of three-, four-, and five-bedroom homes, with acres of open spaces, ecological footpaths and lakes. The creative team at Southampton-based The Garden Society has provided two inspiring show home interiors. The design concepts have been fed by heritage style, with aesthetics echoed from old traditions to a quintessential weekend escape.

Mark White, Managing Director of Bargate Homes, said: “We are thrilled with the fully furnished show homes at Heritage Place, which are now open to the public. We are also making great progress with the construction of the first tranche of homes, and purchasers will shortly be moving in. We are proud to be delivering North Stoneham Park’s most eco-efficient homes, completing the final part of the jigsaw for this exceptional new community.

“The two imaginative family show homes have been meticulously designed by Bargate Homes and The Garden Society, who are one of the most well-known home and garden design specialists in the county. The homes feature varying interior styles to illustrate how best to bring the outdoors in, while beautifully showcasing the quality of the specification and finishes. It brings to life the full potential of these premium new homes to prospective purchasers – we are delighted with the finished result.”

Each room within the two show homes has been carefully curated, with consideration paid to how homeowners may use each space, whilst encouraging individuality and personal choice.

The bold contrasting kitchen features painted dark green cabinetry and black knurled handles, surrounded by bright white quartz and soft white walls. All of the kitchens on the development will be fitted out with Neff cooking appliances. As the social hub of the home, The Garden Society recognised that the kitchen needed to be a statement in itself, whilst tying in traditional elements such as the shaker style units.

The upstairs of one of the three-bedroom show homes is light, airy and peaceful, with a dinosaur themed children’s bedroom and soft luxurious blush pink theme being used in the master bedroom. The space emulates tranquillity and comfort. More adventurous choices of material and colours, such as muted powder blue, navy, and terracotta red, can be seen in the open-plan kitchen and throughout the ground floor. The entrance hall has been left minimal with soft lighting to add mood with shadows, illustrating the practical functionality of the space.

The second show home is aimed at a first-time homemaker, featuring three bedrooms, with one being a single – perfect for a home office. This show home used exploratory colourways, with fun accessories and functionality at the heart of the interior concept.

Bathrooms at Heritage Place will benefit from contemporary white Roca sanitaryware, with Porcelanosa floor and wall tiles. Google Nest learning thermostats, Electric vehicle car chargers, and fibre broadband, are all installed as standard. The show home gardens are also on trend, and have been designed as an extension of the living space, using decked areas, landscaping, planting, and outdoor furniture.

Samuel Baker, Director of The Garden Society said: “It is a great pleasure to work exclusively with Bargate Homes to furnish the show homes at Heritage Place and showcase the latest interior design colour palettes and trends. Plants have magical properties within the home and we wanted to create two living show homes with beautiful plants adding vibrancy to these impeccable new homes.”

Heritage Place’s location boasts easy access to London via train, with the site being in walking distance from Southampton Parkway Station, meaning you can get to London Waterloo in just over an hour. The mainline network also links to other major commuter destinations such as Guildford, Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth and Winchester. Junction 5 of the M27 motorway that connects the southeast and southwest and the M3 to London is also close to the scheme.

Established in 2006, Bargate Homes builds select developments in prime locations within Hampshire, Dorset, and West Sussex. The company is currently delivering 900 homes across six live developments and has a pipeline of future sites expected to deliver in excess of 2,500 new homes.

Heritage Place is located off Hopper Road, SO50 9RJ and the show homes are open from 10am – 5pm, seven days a week. For further information, please call 02381 600595, or email heritageplace@bargatehomes.co.uk

Mark White, Managing Director of Hampshire-based premium housebuilder Bargate Homes, has been invited to join the advisory board for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Housing Market and Housing Delivery. Bargate Homes is currently delivering 900 homes across six live developments and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vivid – Hampshire’s largest provider of affordable homes.

The invitation to join the advisory board for the influential APPG, which meets up to 12 times a year, came from the office of Ben Everitt MP, Chairman of the Group, who also sits on the House of Commons Committee for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The role of the APPG board includes providing counsel to parliamentarians, proposing topics for research, and meeting with ministers and other policymakers. Advisory board members provide insight to each other and to policymakers, with the aim of improving the way that the government regulates and supports the housing industry. 

Ben Everitt, Member of Parliament for Milton Keynes North, and Chairman of the APPG for Housing Market and Housing Delivery, said: “The purpose of this Group is to inform and stimulate debate on relevant areas of policy affecting the UK housing market; to promote the importance of the delivery of new homes across all tenures; and to introduce parliamentarians to those involved in delivering housing and other experts and practitioners in the field.

“I am delighted to welcome Mark White of Bargate Homes to the advisory board. The government has a duty to ensure people living in the UK have decent, secure, and affordable homes to live in. Without the input from those who are actively developing new homes across the UK, we couldn’t address the industry’s greatest challenges in an informed and constructive fashion.

“This Group has been formed by parliamentarians who share a belief in the importance of building new homes, and want to raise housing high up the political agenda. Despite decades of discussion and countless policy initiatives, the UK housing crisis remains. Successive, well-meaning policy interventions in the housing market have created a complex web of unintended consequences, leading to unnecessary delay, uncertainty, and cost in the home-building process.”

Officers for the Housing Market and Housing Delivery APPG comprise; Peter Gibson MP, Conservative, Darlington; Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP, Labour, Brighton Kemptown; Gagan Mohindra MP, Conservative, South West Hertfordshire; Andrew Lewer MP MBE, Conservative, Northampton South; and Paul Holmes MP, Conservative, Eastleigh.

Members of the APPG include; Christian Wakeford MP, Labour, Bury South; Bob Blackman MP, Conservative, Harrow East; Greg Smith MP, Conservative, Buckingham; James Sunderland MP, Conservative, Bracknell; Lord Porter of Spalding CBE; Baron Taylor of Warwick; Paul Howell MP, Conservative, Sedgefield; Shaun Bailey MP, Conservative, West Bromwich West; Simon Fell MP, Conservative, Barrow and Furness; and Dehenna Davison MP, Conservative, Bishop Auckland.

Mark White, Managing Director, Bargate Homes said: “With mandatory local authority housing targets now scrapped by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, there has never been a more pressing need to work with government to address the vast challenges faced by the housebuilding industry.

“The energy price cap will increase to £3,000 for the average family home for 12 months from April. But when lowering our carbon footprint and reducing energy consumption is so critical, much more needs to be done to help fix the planning system, solve the prolonged phosphates, nitrates, and nutrient neutrality issue, and stimulate the new homes market.

“While housebuilding challenges and risks predominantly revolve around land and planning, there are other matters that also deserve meaningful debate. Green Mortgages could be subsidised, so that monthly repayments for the most energy-efficient new homes become significantly cheaper. The Feed-in Tariff for household renewable energy generation should also be reintroduced, to make living in a home with solar panels much more financially rewarding.

“We are on site at six developments across Hampshire, Dorset, and West Sussex, which are delivering over 900 open market and affordable family homes. We have 500 tradespeople working for us, and with the impact of planning and nutrient neutrality issues, Brexit, the prolonged unrest in Ukraine, soaring energy costs, and inflation, it costs £20,000 more to build a typical three-bedroom Bargate home than it did only five years ago. I am looking forward to contributing my thoughts to the APPG – navigating through the housing target void.”

Buying a beautiful Bargate home is a special experience- with the reveal of the newly finished property a truly memorable event.

To make this as exciting and informative as possible, we’ve appointed Nina Crook as our New Home Demonstrator. A dedicated role to comprehensively introduce each and every buyer to all aspects of their new home.

From the all-important demo of your state-of-the-art heating system, to looking after your newly turfed garden (which, of course, you don’t get with other housebuilders), Nina’s the expert, offering a thorough and welcoming introduction.

Commenting on this new  appointment, Nina said:

“I love sharing the excitement of the moment, as buyers see their finished home for the first time and relish taking them through all aspects of how best to run and look after their wonderful dream home.”

Yet another example of how we care and look after our customers.