With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic affecting how we all live and work, flexible design in New Homes building will prove popular amongst buyers.

Since the housing market reopened earlier this year, many agents including RIB have reported a rise in the amount of transactions conducted on home sales – both in terms of new developments and in terms of existing homes. However, we have found that the demands of buyers have changed given the effects of the pandemic. More and more people are looking for the potential to have a separate working space within their new home and the vast majority of working age people would like the option to be able to work from home.

Additionally, provision for outdoor space has also increased in popularity – a natural development given that many people have been stuck in their homes for most of the last year. This provision for outdoor space is also a requirement for many big new developments with local authorities placing more importance on the development of the public realm and new public green spaces when looking at new planning applications.

As discussed in a previous article, the importance of cycle facilities have also been emphasised by buyers, with many more people cycling to work – both due to concerns about the environment and due to the avoidance of public transport by commuters due to the ongoing pandemic. Coupled with the plans to increase the number of cycle lanes and make existing cycle lanes larger, we are certain that cycle facilities will continue to become an increasingly important amenity for new homes.

This flexibility and differing priorities for new buyers will continue to shape the construction of new homes across the UK and whether you are an experienced developer or if this is your first development, our Residential Sales Team would be delighted to help advise you every step of the way.