Snobs attack our ‘eyesore cookie cutter’ new builds – but we love them for saving us hundreds
RESIDENTS have defended their “cookie cutter” new build homes after “snobs” attacked them for being an eyesore.
Graven Hill near Bicester, in Oxfordshire, sits on the site of an ex-army base and on completion will boast 1,900 new eco-friendly homes.
Plans show it will be filled with 26 per cent Dutch-style self-build plots, 30 per cent custom homes, 26 per cent apartments and 18 per cent affordable homes.
However, a row has broken out among its new residents.
The plot’s self-builders are accusing the Council of cost-cutting, leaving some of the more recently built homes looking like identikits and without proper insulation.
But those living in those homes, dubbed ‘cookie cutters’, say they just love their new homes and are actually saving themselves hundreds of pounds on their heating bills.
One 46-year-old Mum who did not want to be named said: “I think the self-builders are just being snobs.
“They are right to call out the Council for cutting back on making the homes energy efficient but to criticize the look of the houses is just them being snooty.
“We don’t all have degrees in architecture. Some of us just want a home in a beautiful setting that will keep us warm in the winter and be cool in the summer.”
Lauren Kelloway, whose house backs onto some of the originally designed homes in Foundation Square, said: “They call these cookie-cutter homes because they are not totally unique but not everyone wants to build from scratch and we love what we have got.
“We all knew that only a quarter of the homes were for self-builders and a certain percentage would be affordable homes and apartments. It’s a mix and people need to accept that.”
She and her partner wanted to up-size before starting a family and the property represented more space and less cash than other options.
She added: “We paid £525,000 for this. It’s four bedrooms with two ensuites and the equivalent homes in Bicester were upwards of £640,000.
“We have fields on our doorsteps and woodland and everyone is very friendly. People take pride in their houses here and want it to look nice.
“We are very happy and with concrete-filled insulation we are paying a lot less for our heating.”
The housing development, which began in 2015, is built on 188 hectares of land originally used as a base for the Pioneers Regiment.
In a nod to its former use, many of the streets have been named after fallen soldiers and there is a permanent poppy display on one of its many green spaces.
A school is currently being built and a corner shop and dentist will soon be open beneath one of the apartment complexes.
So far, just over a quarter of the planned 1,900 homes are built and occupied.
Acknowledging the problem, Karen Curtin, managing director of the Graven Hill Village Development Company (GHVDC) said: “It became very clear that if we were going to stick to just doing self-build, we would be waiting till 2050 to deliver the site.”
But residents still want the council and GHVDC to meet them to “confirm and reiterate the vision for Graven Hill”.
A council spokesperson said: “Graven Hill is a unique development that has allowed for diversity in the local housing market.
“It takes a ground-breaking approach to housing delivery and great progress has been made.
“We have acknowledged receipt of an open letter and our chief executive Yvonne Rees will respond.”