Village Welcomes Vibrant Vision: Councillor Harvie Opens Marcham Meadows
Cllr Mark Harvie (left) with Jon Fletcher, Managing Director for Bloor Homes South West at the official launch of the new showhomes at Marcham Meadows
Marcham Parish Council Chairman Mark Harvie has officially launched Bloor Homes’ two new showhomes at its Marcham Meadows development in the Oxfordshire village, following a fully booked VIP Preview event last month.
The developer worked closely with Marcham Parish Council to ensure the new homes would be exactly what the Parish needed.
Jon Dodd, Senior Planning Manager for Bloor Homes’ South West region explains: "We met with Marcham Parish Council following acquisition of the site and regular workshops were held throughout the detailed design process, alongside pre-application discussions with Vale of White Horse District Council. The Parish Council’s local knowledge and positive working really assisted improving the scheme which was eventually approved through planning.”
Bloor Homes is bringing 87 new homes including 30 one-, two- and three-bedroom affordable homes to the local area. The homes for open sale include a range of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes across 11 different house styles.
Cllr Mark Harvie, Chair of Marcham Parish Council, commented: "Working in partnership with Bloor Homes has allowed us to contribute meaningfully to the planning process, ensuring the development is designed with the best interests of Marcham in mind. The delivery of new and affordable homes, in line with the District Council’s housing mix policy, will provide real benefits to new residents and help support the growth of our thriving community."
Marcham Parish Council also provided input into naming the roads, with the following chosen for their connections to Marcham Village:
• Edgar Gardens is named after King Edgar the peaceful who granted Abingdon Abbey an estate of 50 hides including Marcham in (965 AD). The Domesday Book (1086AD) shows the Abbey still held Marcham after the Norman conquest.
• Rimes Place and Stone Close take their names from people allotted land under the Inclosure Award (1818), which ended communal arable farming in favour of enclosed plots under single ownership with legal documents to show the land had been distributed to them.
• Merece Close is taken from ‘Merceham’ from which ‘Marcham’ is derived. ‘Merece’ is a place where wild celery grows. Probably first cultivated by Roman farmers and later valued by Anglo Saxons, the crop was important enough to name a farming settlement after it.
The Parish Council remains committed to representing the views of residents and will continue to engage constructively with developers and planning authorities as occurred with the Marcham Meadows Development.
All the homes are built to the latest energy efficiency standards using modern materials for a much lower carbon and energy footprint than older properties, whilst also being lower maintenance. People visiting the showhomes will also have the opportunity to see the choices that come with purchasing a new home, such as kitchen, flooring, tiles and sanitaryware.
Kim Benson, Sales Director for Bloor Homes’ South West region, said: “Our preview event last month was a ‘full house’ which shows the demand for new homes in this lovely part of the world. Our three-bedroom semi-detached Buxton showhome and larger three-bedroom, three bathrooms detached Wixham show home are already attracting a lot of attention and with the showhomes now open it’s great to be able to really showcase the quality and style of the homes we are building in this great location.”
When it comes to location, Marcham has the best of all worlds – a picturesque village just two miles from the market town of Abingdon and all its amenities, it has direct road access to Oxford, Newbury, Reading and London, as well as convenient public transport links nearby.
Bloor Homes is supporting purchasers who are looking to move by offering Part Exchange or Assisted Move, specifically designed to benefit homebuyers and ease the moving process.
Located on Packhorse Lane in Marcham, the development is open daily from 10-5pm. For more information about Marcham Meadows visit bloorhomes.com