York Handmade Brick Company predicts a surge in post-lockdown self-builds

Brick in the wall: David Armitage is the fifth generation of his family to run York Handmade.

Mark Laksevics, senior sales manager at York Handmade, believes that the pent-up demand for new housing will be unleashed later this year, if the Covid-19 pandemic is defeated.

He said: “There is no doubt that many people’s lives have been on hold for the past 12 months and few will have considered moving house.

“At the same time, many households will have been able to save money and will now be looking to invest it in property, especially with interest rates so low.

“In addition, the substantial uptick in working from home, stimulated by the lockdown, means that the need for more quality space at home has increased sharply. Taking all these factors together, it is fair to assume that there will be a boom in residential property development over the next two years.”

Mr Laksevics’ comments follow York Handmade’s completion of a significant contract for a new North Yorkshire residential housing development.

The Easingwold-based firm, one of the UK’s leading, independent brick-makers, has supplied specially manufactured bricks for the contemporary development at Ferrensby, near Harrogate. York Handmade provided bricks worth £150,000 for the site, which was developed by Harrogate developer, Jack Lunn (Properties).

The Ferrensby development is called Slingsby Vale and features 18 detached houses, 11 of which will be marketed on the open market and seven of which are affordable.

The affordable houses include one one-bed, four two-beds and two three-beds, while the private houses include two three-beds, six four-beds and three five-beds. The prices for the private houses are likely to range from £375,000 to £825,000 and they are due to go on sale in the early summer.

Mr Laksevics said: “It is a privilege to play a part in creating some beautiful family homes in Ferrensby. This is a very attractive development, which will provide much-needed local housing and enhance the community.”

Carl Wright, director of Jack Lunn (Properties), added: “We are hoping to complete our Slingsby Vale development by autumn this year.

“It hasn’t been easy building a brand new, bespoke housing development in the middle of a global pandemic, but we have been delighted with the progress we have made so far.

“We believe that the pretty village of Ferrensby is one of the prime locations in North Yorkshire for quality housing. Close to the picturesque market towns of both Boroughbridge and Knaresborough and just a couple of miles from the A1(M), the village is also part of Yorkshire’s famous golden triangle, the most sought after area in the county.

“We wanted our houses to be special, which is why we chose York Handmade’s bricks. The quality of the bricks and their appearance are magnificent. We are absolutely delighted with the finished product.

“We also wanted to fit in with the Vale of York vernacular and create a bespoke product, rather than building a generic volume housebuilder scheme.”

Mr Laksevics said York Handmade has recently completed some “stunning” commissions for residential and commercial developments in London and other UK cities, but it is vitally important that it also provides bricks to more local, Yorkshire developers and for self-builders.

“It is especially gratifying to see how our bricks blend in seamlessly with the quintessentially rural landscapes of a North Yorkshire village,” he said.

“We are deeply committed to North Yorkshire and the Vale of York, where we have been manufacturing bricks for the past 33 years."

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