The importance of local communities

Entrepreneur and developer Will Herrmann, founder of West Eleven, explains why local communities have never been as important as they are right now – and how to make them a business priority.

There is, of course, no doubt about the need to think globally; and whatever deal may or may not be struck with our European neighbours in the next few months, that imperative certainly isn’t going to change. What has changed, however, is the increasing importance of thinking locally as well.

As we negotiate our way through the global pandemic, the building world is encountering some seismic challenges and changes affecting both the residential and commercial markets – at the heart of which is the birth of a new localism.

Identikit little boxes in dormitory suburbs or inner-city brownfields are just not acceptable to buyers anymore (if, indeed, they ever truly were). Instead, today’s house hunters want to know that they are joining a community, not just moving into an apartment block. 

Covid-19 has shown many people just how feasible it is to work at home rather than commute for hours, and it’s a freedom I suspect they will be loath to relinquish in a hurry. It has also shown them the value of more spacious homes, private outside space and an environment that enables them to get to know their neighbours. For developers, that means the opportunity to build better homes at a higher value – knowing that in a world where your home is your sanctuary, your security and your workplace, people will prioritise that spending above all else.

The new focus on localism is a timely reminder of the importance of building the right homes in the right places, as buyers increasingly demand the facilities they need right on their doorsteps. With short-distance car use being increasingly shunned by younger, environmentally aware buyers, compounded by the current perceived health risks of public transport, the ability to walk or cycle to schools and shops is more important than ever. 

Bearing this in mind, developers need to see the high street as an opportunity rather than a challenge. There will be opportunities to convert underused space above and behind shops into affordable accommodation, as well as transforming redundant shops themselves – a process that has been made considerably easier and more attractive by the Government’s recent relaxation in planning red tape.

New permitted development rights now allow retail and commercial buildings to be converted into housing without making a full planning application, in a similar way to rules governing office buildings. And while there has been criticism of how these rights have been used in some cases to create poor quality homes, it certainly doesn’t have to be this way. I believe in building high-quality developments that improve the lives of those who live in them as well as leaving a positive mark on the surrounding community and landscape – and that can be achieved at any price point with the right amount of skill and will.

I began my journey into property development when I bought five run-down bedsits and transformed them into good-quality student accommodation while I was still a student myself at the University of Bristol. Ever since then I have tried to add value for the resident and the community as well as just to the bottom line. At Caley House in Wimbledon Village, for example, we turned the sprawling Edwardian home of art critic Brian Sewell into nine beautiful apartments and mews houses, each with a mix of their own private outdoor space and mature communal gardens where neighbours can get to know each other. The development was designed to preserve the open street scene in the conservation area, while providing much-needed homes in the area.

With similar sensitivity towards the local community, one of our previous projects was Bakery Place, in Battersea, where we transformed an old Victorian bakery into 12 beautiful new homes, preserving the character of the building through the use of glazed brickwork, cast-iron columns and industrial-style glazing.

Our latest scheme is in a very different part of the country – near Rock in North Cornwall – but the thought process is the same; respecting local people and local design. We are planning to sensitively transform the previously run-down 120-acre Trefesa Farm into a boutique resort with 24 hotel rooms, 20 lodges and two treehouses for guests to stay in, along with a spa and restaurant that will be open to nearby residents and will serve Cornish-sourced food, plus a mezzanine workspace area with 30 networking desks that can be used by local companies. 

Plus, in a slight side-line from the business of property development (but come on, who doesn’t secretly want their own distillery?), our own home-made Porthilly Spirit vodka, gin and rum will be distilled, sold and drank (in sensible moderation, of course) on site, as well as being exported around the world. Our Cornish Coastal Gin is made from British sugar beet and Cornish spring water, flavoured from local wild botanicals including the sea pink that grows on the cliffs and the salt harvested from the coastline, with part of every sale being donated to the Cornwall Community Kitchen feeding those in need. Thinking simultaneously local and global is always a winner, whether you are selling rum or rooms.

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