Build to Rent specialist, Sigma Capital Group Limited (“Sigma”) welcomed, housing minister, the Rt Honourable Christopher Pincher MP to its Simple Life Stonefield Edge development, in the Bilston area of Wolverhampton last week..
Sigma’s rental brand, Simple Life, currently has over 4,400 homes in its portfolio and is leading the delivery of BTR housing across the UK.
Showcasing the speed at which Sigma is able to provide high quality new housing based on its build-to-rent (BTR) delivery model, Christopher Pincher was able to see the positive impact build-to-rent developments are having on providing additional suburban housing and accelerating the creation of brand new mixed tenure communities.
The minister was shown the site plan of the 420-home development, comprising of 123 BTR family housing, 105 affordable homes and 192 private sale properties, as well as being given a tour of the show homes and a walk around the site to see how the varied tenures interact.
While families are the main focus across the regions, Simple Life homes appeal to a cross-section of people, from singletons and young professional couples to retirees and those looking to downsize.
The company has created an unrivalled property delivery and management platform for this purpose. The platform, which includes its house building partners, provides a professional and secure supply chain for the acquisition of sites, and construction and management of new homes. It enables Sigma to deliver homes across the UK. Sigma’s model also sees them working very closely with local councils and Homes England.
Sigma is also Founder and Investment Adviser for The PRS REIT plc, with REIT homes also being marketed under the highly successful Simple Life brand.
To date, Sigma has delivered over 6,000 BTR homes on behalf of its investor partners and they have instructed over £1bn worth of development costs across all its housebuilding partners, making them a true leader in the BTR marketplace, and more significantly, the expert in BTR family houses. The company is now set for even greater investment and plans which should see the company targeting between 15,000 – 20,000 new homes within the next 5 years.
The visit by the housing minister follows Sigma’s double win at the Property Week RESI awards last week, when the team picked up both PRS Deal of the Year and the Best COVID Response award.
The PRS Deal of the Year award highlighted the September 2020 launch of a joint venture with EQT Exeter to focus on building new, high quality BTR residential apartments in more affordable areas of Greater London.
The Best COVID Response award follows the resident focussed initiatives put in place to help ease some of the financial strain caused by the pandemic. Deferred payment plans were offered to residents who were struggling financially, NHS staff discounts were applied, as well and clear communication updates and organised virtual activities to support customer health and wellbeing.
Rob Sumner, Residential Investment Director, Sigma Capital, said: “Arranged through the BPF, we were honoured to welcome the housing minister to one of our larger schemes. Chris Pincher and his team were very enthusiastic about the positive impact BTR is having on the housing industry, by not only in creating much needed additionality to housing numbers, but also providing the catalyst for larger, multi tenure developments..
“As a brand we are able to build homes at a faster pace, reducing costs and overall, doing our part to help with the housing shortage in the UK. We were so pleased to welcome the minister to the Stonefield Edge site so he could see first-hand, the great work our team has been doing.“
Housing Minister RT Hon Christopher Pincher MP said, “Boosting housing supply is a key part of our Levelling Up agenda and Stonefield Edge is a fantastic example of delivering new affordable homes for families and young people in the region.
“The development also showcases what is possible when we build new homes on previously disused Brownfield Land: well-designed, modern and elegant new homes with beautiful landscaping at its heart. This government is committed to regenerating local areas like Bilston and Spring Vale and creating thriving communities where people want to live and work in the years ahead.”