Lines in the sand: we're looking for land

With members of our Lifestory land team.

Amidst the 18 months that were lived online, Lifestory, as an agile actor on the property development stage, adapted its land acquisition strategy to suit the needs of a quickly evolving market. Where others were unable to refine their tactics quite so swiftly, we embraced a new holistic approach to acquiring land, putting our entrusted relations with landowners at the forefront of an increasingly amalgamated puzzle within our sector  - striving forward and unwaveringly confident in our ability to strengthen our position as creators of communities. Consequently, our appetite for new land remains as strong as ever and we have the right tools at our disposal to deliver best value for all concerned. 

A once rigid commuter belt has now dispersed slightly; city jobs no longer require city-based employees. We can be who we want to be, where we want to be. We know the essence of home has evolved into something more personal  - more supportive of our individual life story. Overnight, it seemed hubs of subculture cropped up in once unlikely areas, as we organically redefined the way we lived during the lockdown. Londoners took time away from the city; once sleepy towns came alive with activity and personality as  staycations dominated the travel industry. The map merged: a fourth dimension of emotional attachment to memories made in newfound areas. On the surface, we were at our most isolated points, but perhaps we were each adapting to become more integrated than ever; the lines in the sand have blurred. 

Our personal ability to adapt is now at the front and centre of any acquisition process. The need for obvious, immediate functionality of any piece of land has given way to our nature of letting the environment take the lead and adapting ourselves to sustainably defend the area’s specific personality and needs. Crucially, there is a new means to being respectful in our sector, taking into account a responsibility we have as property developers, but also as people, to ensure the future is accounted for. As developers, the ability to change the narrative lies with us; there is a national trust put into our ability to create a safe environment for our future generations by safe-guarding the land we acquire and adding to a preexisting heritage and legacy of a site, creating a community in reflection of the micro-cultures inhabiting the surrounding areas. 

This sentiment allows us to be entrusted by our partners who look to  us to reimagine their land and regenerate areas, fulfilling their potential with our means of community creation. Our merger bonded our team’s realm of expertise across three interconnected regions, allowing us to pool our understanding of open-market and later-living property to create something entirely new and unique in representation of our very own life story. To grow anything with authentic resonance, but especially following the turbulence of a pandemic, you have to enable a degree of breathing space and period of consolidation. At Lifestory, we took the time to regroup our ideas and align our portfolio to allow for synergy throughout our approaches in both land, planning and development, in both sectors of our operations. Like with all things in life, creating something with significance requires a perfect balance of consideration and tenacity. We’re able to be agile in this knowledge that our authentic passion for value addition through the homes we build and communities we create will ensure we remain true to the entrusted responsibility of serving for the greater good. 

Simply, we are actively looking for land in reflection of our fueled desire to create new communities across the country. We’re uniquely flexible in our acquisition strategy, combining direct site purchases with our pride in forming relationships with landowners. Above all, we ensure value is added through our wealth of planning experience as we sensitively move towards intergenerational communities and help to shape the future of sustainable living. 

Learn more about being involved with our future here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PFP-d3HcDE