WITH more than 25 years’ experience and multiple awards under his tool belt, Dave Wiggins was the ideal candidate to oversee construction of new homes in Sampford Peverell.

Dave, who lives in nearby Cullompton, has taken on the role of project manager for Edenstone Homes at The Orchards.

Over the course of two years, he’ll oversee the construction of 60 new homes on land off Higher Town.

“Working for Edenstone at The Orchards excites me,” Dave said.

“This isn’t a high-volume development – this is special. It’s a quality development of 60 homes, including some render and some traditional stone houses. I feel lucky to have been asked to be the project manager. I’m proud to put my name to the development.”

Dave is a veteran, having served in 45 Commando of the Royal Marines, including in the Falklands. When he came out of the Forces he initially worked for his father, before going on to work for a number of national and regional housebuilders.

Running sites with military precision has helped Dave win more than a dozen industry awards throughout his career. These include the regional NHBC Pride in the Job award, several Seals of Excellence and “Quality” accolades. He’s also received health and safety awards.

Work at The Orchards is progressing well with infrastructure and plot works underway.

Dave will oversee up to 40 people working on the site at a time. It’s anticipated that the first residents will move in this winter.

Local subcontractors have been appointed to work on the scheme. The site carpenter lives in Sampford Peverell and the plumber is from only a few miles away. A local resident has also been employed to staff the gate of the development.

Over 200 people have already registered their interest in the homes, which are due to be released for sale this summer. It’s anticipated the first residents will be able to move into their new homes in the winter.

“There’s a lot of interest in the development locally. I’ve had people asking me about the homes – a lot are interested in the bungalows,” Dave said.

“I like to engage with our customers at an early stage as it helps build trust and confidence. I’m already looking forward to giving them home demonstrations to show them how things work.”

The location of the new homes in Sampford Peverell being built under Dave’s supervision will have broad appeal.

“It will have a village feel as it’s on the edge of Sampford Peverell with a farm shop nearby, plus the M5 is only two minutes’ drive away,” Dave explained.

“The site is on a hillside and homeowners will be able to see for miles. It’s a fantastic location, with orchards planned within the development. Plus, there’ll be an allotment where residents will be able to grow their own produce. There’ll be a field of wildflowers to attract bees, with bat boxes provided along with hedgehog highways and tunnels. A footpath from the development to the main road will be created so pedestrians don’t have to walk in the road.”

The Orchards will deliver 39 private sale properties with a mix of two, three and four-bedroom semi-detached and detached homes and three-bedroom bungalows.

There will also be 18 affordable homes, with one to four-bedrooms. The development will also include three designated self-build plots for four-bedroom homes.

In addition to building new homes, the Edenstone Group will invest more than £250,000 into the local community via section 106 contributions with funding allocated for early years provision, school transport and secondary education.

Potential purchasers can register to find out more about the new homes in Sampford Peverell via the website https://edenstonehomes.com/coming-soon/sampford-peverell.