Traditional Beer Ceremony Marks 98 New Homes For Watton

The construction of nearly 100 new energy-efficient family homes in Watton has been marked by a traditional topping-out ceremony – with locally-brewed beer poured over the roof tiles.

Paul LeGrice, managing director of Abel Homes, which is based in the town, joined site manager Alan Read on the roof of the first of the homes to be made watertight to perform the ceremony, just weeks before the first tranche of new homes goes on sale.

Situated off Norwich Road, the 98 two-, three- and four- bedroom homes will have the top ‘A’ rating for energy efficiency and include features such as photo-voltaic solar panels, underfloor heating, triple glazing and high levels of insulation, as well as fibre broadband direct to each home.

The first homes will go on sale at the end of August, just six months after work started at the 12 acre site, which has been given the name ‘Hare’s Green’.

As part of the development, Abel Homes is creating a public open space on the site, and – as the family-owned firm does on all its sites – will commission a piece of public artwork to provide a focal point for the new community.

“We are a local firm, based just a few hundred yards away from this site, so we are delighted to be marking this milestone on the way to launching these new homes,” said Paul LeGrice, Abel Homes managing director. 

“Our last site in the town, hus46, was a run-away success, and is now an established and vibrant community.  We look forward to replicating that success here at Hare’s Green, providing employment for local people in the process.”

The show home at Hare’s Green will be launched over the August bank holiday weekend, when the first new homes for sale will be released.