It’s for yoo-hoo!
Words | Emma Mahony Upscale property company yoo’s new second home development comes with great features – including a glamorous launch party ANTON BILTON AND John Hitchcox have had a big week. The owners of the new development in the Cotswolds, The Lakes by yoo, invited all 40 buyers of their million-pound luxury second homes [...]
Words | Emma Mahony
Upscale property company yoo’s new second home development comes with great features – including a glamorous launch party
alt="Philippe Starck">
ANTON BILTON AND John Hitchcox have had a big week. The owners of the new development in the Cotswolds, The Lakes by yoo, invited all 40 buyers of
their million-pound luxury second homes down for a weekend before they move in to their Philippe Starck and Jade Jagger-designed homes overlooking six lakes.
They billed the weekend “Lakestock”, as a 400-strong gathering of buyers, friends and families – with a smattering of celebs such as Jagger herself – converged on
the 650-acre site to sleep in tepees and listen to a 22-piece band, while canoeing and messing around on boats.
“It was like a scene out of Swallows and Amazons,” says Bilton. “I could see for myself the environment we had created where kids could race around free.”
alt="Jade Jagger, the celebrity designer behind this luxury development">
The Lakes by yoo, a partnership between Hitchcox’s development and design company yoo and Bilton’s The Raven Property Holdings plc, is quite unlike any other
development on the market in the UK. “It’s an extraordinary success story,” says Hitchcox, “even in these credit crunch times. I believe it’s because people are purchasing out of a lifestyle decision, to have an opportunity to own somewhere in the country where you can get out of London easily [it’s about two hours’ drive], but still be in a community.
“I woke in the morning [after Lakestock] and saw the children playing with the burnt embers of the fire from the night before. That’s something you can’t do in London.”
Hitchcox’s international development company yoo, founded with designer Philippe Starck, specialises in creating contemporary residential projects that are designled
with up-to-the minute features. For instance, many of the Lakes homes have split-level decking with water access, roof terraces and solariums.
alt="Anton Bilton">
Yoo is developing 57 projects of a similar size in 25 other countries. Some sites are urban, others rural, and to succeed in locations such as Tel Aviv, Acapulco and New York, their flexible, bespoke approach is the winning formula.
“Philippe is extraordinarily adaptable,” says Hitchcox. “For example, at the Lakes, we have made much of the natural landscape, and we have been working on the site for 10 years before the first residents actually move in.”
For busy urban types, looking for a weekend lifestyle with sailing, riding and fishing, the three distinct interiors by Starck, Jade Jagger or the yoo team mean that the
thinking has already been done. With 40 out of the 48 homes of phase I and II already sold, Bilton has found the best approach is to offer potential buyers to come and spend a weekend in the Cotswolds to see for themselves. “Planning permission for Phase III has just been granted,and we are getting demand for even bigger properties where friends and extended family can join in the fun,” says Bilton. “The lakeside thing is so popular, I’m looking to do it all over again in Scotland at Loch Ness.” Move over Nessie – there’s going to be a new attraction.
Phase III of the Lakes by yoo offers houses between 5,000 and 6,000 sq ft, ranging in price from £950,000 to £2,200,000. For further information visit
www.thelakesbyyoo.com or call +44 (0)1367 250 066.
