Information for Hunts Grove Phase 1 Homeowners
Note: this page is provided for information purposes only and is not to be considered as advice, legal or otherwise, from Hunts Grove Parish Council.
If you own a home at Hunts Grove Phase 1 of the development, this information may be helpful to retain. If you are buying a property at Hunts Grove Phase 1, this information may be helpful to your conveyancer/solicitor during the pre-purchase checks.
Which properties are Phase 1? These were the first 342 properties built at Hunts Grove by Crest Nicholson and David Wilson Homes between 2011 and 2015 - our blog post here includes a map and street name list.
Summary
Phase 1 properties were constructed under the original planning permission and Section-106 agreements from 2008 whereby the public open spaces are to be transferred to Stroud District Council. Some properties have an Estate Rentcharge written into their deeds in favour of Hunts Grove Management Company Limited, however, this has never been enforced for Phase 1 properties as the management company arrangements are only enforceable on properties constructed after 2017 in later phases of the development.
Before Hunts Grove Parish Council was formed, a residents association campaign from 2017-2018 sought to clarify the legal position for Phase 1 property owners with the District Council and developer, Crest Nicholson. Crest Nicholson ultimately funded legal advice on behalf of the residents to establish whether Phase 1 owners had any liability to the management company. This process concluded with a legal confirmation that the management company cannot be applied retrospectively to any of the properties in Phase 1.
The legal confirmation, along with a clarification letter from Crest Nicholson MD Andrew Dobson is linked below for reference. During any future home sale/purchase, Crest Nicholson handles enquiries via the managing agent Preim Ltd. Contact details for Preim Ltd are also linked below.
The Parish Council understands that there is no scenario whatsoever where the rentcharge provisions in any Phase One deeds could be enforced. The Section-106 planning permission simply does not allow this as the Phase One open spaces must be adopted by the District or Parish Council. We are working with Crest Nicholson to secure a reasonable and sustainable solution for the removal of the rentcharge provisions via a Deed of Release process. We will update this page as soon as we know more.
Documents
- Legal advice confirmation for Hunts Grove Phase 1 homeowners (PDF)
- Clarification letter from Crest Nicholson Managing Director Andrew Dobson (PDF)
Confirmation/Questions via Preim Limited
Email: company.secretarial@preim.co.uk
PREIM Limited
Unit 8, The Forum, Minerva Business Park, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6FT
Telephone: +44 (0)1778 382210
Fax: +44 (0)1778 382215.
www.preim.co.uk