Case Study: The Old Printworks, Frome
The Old Printworks in Frome is a collection of one-hundred and fifty-nine, 1 to 4-bedroom apartments and houses on the former Butler, Tanner & Dennis site, one of Britain’s foremost colour printers.
The Old Printworks in Frome is a collection of one-hundred and fifty-nine, 1 to 4-bedroom apartments and houses on the former Butler, Tanner & Dennis site, one of Britain’s foremost colour printers.
A Joint Venture with the landowner London & County, the development has been sympathetically designed to complement its natural surroundings and incorporate new riverside walks along the River Frome.
Carefully curated by architects Pad design, the vision for the site was to create high-quality homes that enhanced Frome’s existing community while keeping Acorn’s ‘different by design’ ethos at the heart. Importance was placed on delivering a site where the new neighbourhood could come together, with the open green space to include a children’s play area and the newly completed boardwalk will allowing the residents to stroll along the River Frome.
Built with sustainability in mind the new homes are made with Eco stock bricks, which use 50% less energy used to produce compared to other fired clay bricks. Each home has an EPC rating B, with our fabric first approach which means the first step is for every home to be well insulated, with triple glazing to windows and doors to minimise the transfer of heat through windows. There is communal EV charging, and all houses are pre-wired to aid future installation of EV charger, solar panels and battery storage.
In addition to building energy-efficient homes, we made sure to protect and enhance the existing wildlife through bat and bird boxes, bee bricks, planting new trees and managing the riverside bank to protect existing ecology.
The development is being delivered across three phases with each phase providing 1-4 bedroom homes. This range offers suitable options for a variety of lifestyles, attracting an array of purchasers including downsizers, families, investors, and first-time buyers.
The combination of bespoke design, high-quality specification and the desirable location meant the first phase sold out 6 months ahead of anticipation, with all homes reserved off plan. This phase is now complete, and all residents have moved in.
The design just jumped out at us, looking quite unique and different to any other new builds we had seen. We were looking at completely different properties previously, none of which were new builds. When we learnt more about Acorn’s vision; the use of responsibly sourced building materials, the wildlife preservation and the communal green areas it persuaded us to visit and we were not disappointed.
Phase 2 is now over 75% sold and Acorn’s direct construction arm, AHCS are continuing with the build programme to complete the final homes and pulling foundations for Phase 3.
There is a real sense of community forming as residents move in and can enjoy their new homes. In 2022 the residents held an open garden event to raise funds for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance and the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) after one of our homeowners needed airlifting – an example of the community coming together to help.
The Old Printworks project goes beyond simply delivering new homes and creates a thriving neighbourhood with importance placed on connecting the community and nature. From carefully designed energy-efficient homes to the children’s play area and outside space – this development has something to suit a range of lifestyles.
The new homes are intended to be a sanctuary, to enhance wellbeing and allow the new community to thrive long into the future.
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