The Land Trust adds Merlin Park and New Lubbesthorpe to management portfolio

The Land Trust is pleased to announce it has added a further two service charge sites to its management portfolio; at Merlin Park, just outside Nottingham and New Lubbesthorpe in Leicestershire.

At both sites the Land Trust will have the responsibility for the management of the public open spaces within a residential property development. Our Estates team will work with the residents to maintain the public open spaces and deliver community activities that support health and wellbeing, allows the local environment and wildlife to thrive, delivers educational and training opportunities, encourages local investment and brings communities together.

Director of Portfolio management, Alan Carter, said:

“We are delighted to have added Merlin Park and New Lubbesthorpe to our management portfolio. Over the last couple of years the Trust had a strong focus on bringing this kind of site under our management as we believe there is a real need for an organisation like ourselves to take on the responsibility for the public open spaces within residential property developments and manage them with the best interests of the community at heart.

“The Land Trust’s principal philosophy is all about improving the lives of the people and communities we work with. On new build estates such as Merlin Park and New Lubbesthorpe the challenge is thinking about how we can help turn houses into homes and neighbours into friends.

“The public open spaces play a key part in that and our placekeeping approach is what makes this happen. Our careful management will encourage residents to get outside, meet each other and build their community.”

Merlin Park is a community with a fascinating history. The development has a number of communal open spaces, containing play areas inspired by the site’s RAF history. The site also includes a multi-use games area, designed to be a space that allows young people or families to get outside together. The Land Trust was transferred the public open spaces by MUSE Developments and now manages them on behalf of 350 homes with this expected to rise to 800 when the development is fully built out.

At New Lubbesthorpe, the Land Trust has taken on the first phase of strategic land from Drummond Estates. As the estate grows the Trust will have responsibility for over 75 acres of woodland and 250 acres of public open space and parkland, and will manage this on behalf of over 4,500 homeowners.