NEW HOMES

A Comprehensive New Homes Service

NEW HOMES

Mears New Homes provides the public sector with a full set of solutions for the delivery of new homes

from a contracting service to land acquisition as well as opportunities to form joint ventures. Linked to this,

Mears brings its skills in regeneration and business wide commitment to spread the benefits of new home

provision throughout the communities in which it works. Our extensive experience in the repairs and

maintenance sector give us a unique perspective from which to ensure that what we build are high quality,

low maintenance homes fit for a low carbon, low energy future.

Mears Group has a complimentary set of businesses and services to support the provision of new

homes. These include home care and support services which enable older and disabled people to

continue living in their own homes. Our own housing association, a land referencing expert; TerraQuest,

as well as housing management and the expertise of energy services.

Overview and introduction

Since our formation in 1988, Mears has been working in partnership with social landlords to

maintain, repair and upgrade the homes of hundreds of thousands of people in communities

from remote rural villages to large inner-city estates.

Mears New Homes approach is to put the project and the interests of future residents at the heart of

the decision making process.

The planning, delivery and long term maintenance of new housing is a complex process. We believe

the best way to operate is to assemble the whole team for a project from the start. We work in an open,

mutually supportive manner. We are committed to managing finances in a transparent way so that all

parties in a project can base decisions on the best information available.

Our service offering

Mears New Homes offers a completely flexible contractor and development partner solution on

construction, land and development opportunities. We offer partnering arrangements tailored to

your requirements including:

1. Design and Build Constructor Partner

2. Land-Led Development Partner

3. Joint Venture Partner

Mears team of in-house specialists offer:

• Viability assessments • Feasibility studies • Land appraisals

• Risk assessment • Management strategy • Project management

• Innovative funding solutions • Pre-construction advice • Marketing guidance

We also provide a wealth of experience in off-site manufacture and sustainable construction.

Each project is considered individually and is managed using bespoke project management plans that

ensure efficient effective delivery and which enable continual improvement and best practice learning to

flourish.

The advantages of workingwith Mears New Homes

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Our in-house Design and Technical Team has the

expertise to manage all design requirements. We

offer a complimentary pre-construction service and

are able to provide commercial and design support,

advice and guidance on sites and the various

options available to clients. We work closely with

our design partners and supply-chain partners to

develop the most efficient and effective construction

solution to meet bespoke requirements.

Our preconstruction process includes the

investigation, appraisal and incorporation of suitable

off site manufacture options to develop the most

economic and efficient design solution for

optimising project cost, specification and

programme, as well as meeting the mandatory

requirements of the Code for Sustainable Homes

and any specific funding requirements such as

HCA Quality and Design Standards.

With Mears Group’s foundations being in responsive

repairs and maintenance, we have over 25 years

experience of maintaining homes we know what can

go wrong during a building’s life, and how costly it

can be to repair and sometimes replace. This is why

we understand the importance of taking decisions

on designs, materials and products with the build-

ings ‘whole life’ cost in mind.

We are able to provide a competitive approach to

achieving best value against project specific budgets

and requirements through our ‘whole life’ approach

to construction and aftercare. All Mears New Homes

are subject to robust quality vetting processes to

ensure that each home is completed, free of defects

before being handed over.

Design and Build Constructor Partner1Mears New Homes has experience of delivering projects as lead designer and management

contractor through a wide range of contract forms. Notwithstanding the form of contract

employed; we seek to work collaboratively with clients, adopting an open and transparent

relationship.

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Working with us brings the additional benefits of

our sister company, TerraQuest. TerraQuest is the

UK’s largest specialist provider of land referencing

services to private and public sector clients

involved in the planning and development of major

transportation, regeneration and utility projects.

TerraQuest add significant value to our service

through their focused approach to the identification

of ‘Lost Land,’ legal title and covenants in areas to

optimise development potential with minimal risk.

Mears New Homes is ideally placed to appraise

the viability of development sites. We can

cross -subsidise schemes through the introduction

and shared risk of open market sale dwellings.

Our in-house land and development team, work

closely with local planning officers, design partners,

land and sales agents and community groups to

ensure that each opportunity is viable, and fully

deliverable from a planning perspective.

We assess every project option to find the

optimum development and funding solution and to

ensure the scheme achieves the maximum value in

terms of the number and mix of units, whether it is

an affordable or a mixed tenure including rented,

intermediate or open market sale; economical from

a budget perspective, realistic in terms of revenue

and rent yield perspective and attractive to funders.

Land-Led Development Partner2We have an established contact network of land owners, land agents, business development

personnel and consultants who support us in identifying and procuring both tendered and

negotiated land opportunities, using bespoke client-led search parameters. This means that we

can identify land and development opportunities that respond to specific client requirements.

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Our ability to achieve and enhance financial viability

across all schemes hinges on our commercial

approach to maximising value and ensuring that

the parameters, on which the site is procured or

designed, are delivered and surpassed.

We are able to support clients own site

identification, procurement and delivery

requirements or alternatively, we are able to lead

privately funded, land-led developments through

dedicated finance arrangements within the Mears

Group and via our external funding partners.

Mears New Homes can provide clients with a

primary, or shared approach towards sales risk of

homes for open market sale.

This enables us to purchase sites either directly or

jointly, and to manage the design and planning

process with affordable housing at the forefront of

our design and delivery philosophy.

Through the Mears Group, we have access to

substantial financial resources and capability,

allowing us to offer a flexible approach to funding

projects.

Mears New Homes welcome the opportunity to undertake joint venture agreements, using a wide

range of financial and contractual arrangements, tailored to unique partner and project needs.

Joint Venture Partner3

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We seek to assist local authorities and registered providers to address the full spectrum of housing need

from homelessness through to long-term homes through mixed tenures.

The Mears Housing Management service also includes Plexus, a Not For Profit Registered Provider wholly

owned by the Group, whose aim is to work with local authorities, registered providers and Investors alike

to finance, develop and create new housing supply.

Together, we can provide long term, strategic advice about the use of assets, including the reuse and

redevelopment of unused or underutilised land, buildings and dwellings; and the development of new

more efficiently designed and marketable housing.

Housing Management Service

For large-scale estate regeneration programmes, we can engage our sister company, Mears

Housing Management, who can offer our clients funding, acquisition and delivery options to

address housing shortages.

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The concerns about labour and material shortages further support the increased use of ‘modern

methods of construction’ and make higher quality and engineered accuracy more predictable.

Ever higher aspirations for thermal performance and faster build times are strong reasons to consider

off-site manufacture.

The start of the design process and reinforces Mears preference to be brought into a project team at

the earliest opportunity.

Our design and preconstruction process involves a complete appraisal, involving designers, supply

chain partners and client to identify and select the most appropriate, cost effective construction solution

for each project.

Off-Site Manufacturing

Mears are committed advocates to the benefits of off-site manufacturing and have invested in

securing a strategic supply chain of partners who can deliver competitive panelised and ‘volumetic’,

construction solutions.

Training and Local EmploymentOur commitment to supporting the communities in which we are working

focuses on supporting local employment and helping the local community

to thrive through tackling worklessness, providing both management

services and trades based training and encouraging career progression into

the industry through work experience and entry level support to candidates.

Mears has a reputation for delivering high quality training and employing people who reside locally to

our contracts. We are able to provide a holistic long term approach to training and employment for

candidates through a wide and diverse range of regional offices and site locations.

Supporting Apprenticeships:Mears work alongside local training providers and the Job Centre

Plus to provide CITB supported Apprenticeships.

Developing Trade Skills:Mears offer an extensive training and development programme and

run regular tool box talks for all operatives which cover key issues

such as; health and safety, customer care, considerate driving,

asbestos identification and other core skills.

Providing Opportunities:Mears is signed up to the Government’s Social Mobility. Business

Compact. This means we are committed to providing fair access

to all and opportunities to underrepresented groups.

Local Employment:We encourage local recruitment on all of our projects, both directly

on site and also within our management and support structure to

ensure that all candidates have a fair and reasonable chance to be

involved.

Local Supply Chain Initiatives:Mears New Homes is committed to working with subcontractors

and suppliers who are based locally to our projects. We work hard

to retain the fiscal benefits of regeneration and building work within

the local economy, whilst working to minimise our environmental

impact through local sourcing and procurement.

It's not just the quality of our homes that make us

different; it's our commitment to local communities

which can be seen at every level of the

organisation. We commit to the Considerate

Constructor Accreditation Scheme and engage

with local community groups from the outset of all

projects to ensure that we can maximise

community involvement and consultation.

Our approach to ensuring positive neighbourhood

involvement and consultation commences during

the design process, to inform scheme concepts,

specifications, materials and site logistic and

constraints strategies.

Community Engagement

Through early stakeholder engagement sessions,

we showcase large scale coloured plans, CGI

images and perspectives, to enable all

stakeholders to discuss any concerns and fears

that they may have, and to develop project specific

Neighbourhood Charters which are designed to

respond to the key issues such as dust, noise,

vibration, delivery and waste collection times,

parking and traffic management.

We work with local schools to highlight the

dangers of constructions sites and provide a range

of educational opportunities for school children,

including managed site visits, hoarding artwork

competitions and trade-skills taster sessions,

which allow children to try their hand at trades in

a fun but safe environment.

Mears Group is at the forefront of the drive for improved energy

efficiency of existing and newly built homes. A significant

proportion of the work delivered for our public sector customers

is to improve the fabric performance of their existing stock and

add energy saving and energy generation technologies.

Mears Energy provides customers and all parts of the Group

with specialist skills and knowledge on installing and operating

of these systems.

Independent recognition of the achievement of Mears in this

area can be found in these awards.

Companywide we are committed to improving the lives of people living in our communities.

Last year our staff volunteered 22,353 hours and supported 648 community projects

across the UK. This includes supporting both local and national charities as well as

spending time on practical interventions that can make a real difference to people’s lives.

These include initiatives such as our commitment to tackling fuel poverty through loft

clearance schemes which allow the installation of loft insulation; tackling loneliness through

our befriending scheme, improving safety in the home by checking and fitting fire alarms

and reaching out to older people who are living without a family network.

Wider Community Involvement

Sustainability and Energy Efficiency

UK Green Apple Awards 2014

Building & Construction

Green Practices: Gold Winner

Green Deal & Energy Company

Obligation (ECO) National

Award Winner

We provide dedicated finishing and completion trade teams to ensure that all snagging processes and

quality inspections are complete and that each property is defect free. Only then is the property offered

for handover in conjunction with the client’s representative, clerk of works or home purchaser regarding

pre-handover inspections for final customer feedback prior to move-in day.

Our Customer Service Team is available during all resident move-in dates and provides an informal

property induction, focusing on key issues such as security, heating and water systems; an overview of

our Operating and Maintenance Manual for each property; to highlight any possible natural shrinkage,

cracking issues and to resolve any queries or concerns that may arise.

Our Customer Service Team provides additional support to vulnerable residents and will work with our

site team to resolve minor issues, provide assistance with furniture delivery and waste removal.

Post-Handover, Customer Care continues through our 24/7 Aftercare Service and

is supported by our Customer Service Team who continue to provide face to face

liaison and support as required.

Customer Service Excellence

We work closely with our site teams and client asset management and letting teams; and open

market purchaser’s to provide customers with early visibility of property completion dates for all

handovers.

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The vast majority of housing providers offer limited

support post completion - 12 or 24 months defects

cover is typical with NHBC, Premier Guarantee or

others, providing structural warranties from years 2

to 10 years.

Mears New Homes is uniquely placed to offer clients

and development partners a market leading defects

liability and aftercare solution.

The Mears mainTENance Warranty demonstrates

our commitment to excellence in service and the

overall finished quality of the homes that we build

and hand-over.

It assures our customers, regardless of the

property’s ownership or tenure, that each home will

be effectively maintained without the need to engage

third party contractors.

Further demonstrating our commitment to quality

and long term resident satisfaction, Mears New

Homes can provide the Mears mainTENance

Warranty under a number of options to provide

our customers with an extended, post-handover

aftercare service, covering routine maintenance

from 2 years, up to a maximum of 10 years.

10 YEARMAINTENANCE10 YEAR

MAINTENANCEPROMISE

NEW HOMES

Long Term Support & Maintenance

Mears Group is highly experienced in maintaining and repairing homes and other properties and

therefore, we recognise the importance of quality during design, construction and handover of

new homes but also, within the service we provide once residents move in.

NEW HOMES

01707 290188

new.homes@mearsgroup.co.uk

www.mearsnewhomes.co.uk

@mearsgroup

mearsgroup

Mears New Homes Limited

26-28 Hyde Way

Welwyn Garden City

Hertfordshire AL7 3UQ

NEW HOMES