Peterborough Residential Valuations, Building Surveys And Homebuyer Reports

As Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and Registered Valuers we have carried out Residential Valuations, Building Surveys (formerly known as a Structural Survey) and RICS Homebuyer Surveys (commonly referred to as a Homebuyer Report) in Peterborough and Oundle for over 15 years.

Housing In Peterborough

Peterborough lies at the extreme western edge of the East Anglia fens and the local topography is flat and low-lying with some places below sea level. Human settlement dates back to the Bronze age. The population grew rapidly following the arrival of the railways in the 19^th century and became a centre for brick manufacturing.

After the First World War, Peterborough City Council began building ‘homes fit for heroes’ – council housing for working people, which increased growth in the city. Throughout the 20th century, the city expanded to incorporate many places such as Walton, Newark and Fletton, which had formerly been entirely separate villages.

Growth was then limited until it was designated a new town in 1967. Peterborough Development Corporation together with the city and local council developed new townships for the London overspill. These were Bretton, the Ortons, Paston, Werrington and the most recent Hampton.

Bretton was created as the City’s first township and much of the property was constructed in the 1970s. These were a mix of both private and PDC housing. To the west of Bretton is an area of private housing constructed in the 1980s. Orton was the second township to be constructed after Bretton and comprises of the ancient villages of Orton Waterville and Orton Longueville, together with the newer developments of Orton Brimbles, Orton Goldhay, Orton Melbourne, Orton Southgate, Orton Wistow and most recently Orton Northgate.

Orton Goldhay’s housing development was laid out in the 1970s by PDC and was the second township to be developed.

Orton Wistow is an area of privately developed housing originally laid out in the 1980s and completed in the early 1990s.

The latest part of the Ortons is Orton Northgate and is the fastest growing and has the most recently constructed housing. This area previously formed part of the East of England Showground site and a number of properties have the benefit of overlooking the remaining parts.

Hampton was a former site of the brick pits and was also used for the storage of household waste. It was later filled in with pulverised fly ash.

Orton Brimbles is an area of mixed public and private sector housing dating almost entirely from the 1980s. Until the 1960’s Orton Longueville was a village separated from Peterborough by open farmland.

Longthorpe is a village in the City of Peterborough and is one of the most popular areas to live containing properties of varying age and style. Thorpe Hall in Longthorpe is a grade 1 listed building. There are also a number of other listed buildings including the Old Manor House.

Originally Werrington was a village and was engulfed in the mid-twentieth century as the city expanded. There are two distinct areas of Werrington, the village and new Werrington.

Property Issues In Peterborough

Peterborough is not within the coalfields and, therefore, there are no problems with ground stability caused by coal mining past or present. There are areas of shrinkable clays and in some locations leaving the properties vulnerable to subsidence.  This can also be exacerbated by dense tree planting. Trees and shrubs take large amounts of water out of the ground causing clay subsoils to shrink.  These tend to be isolated issues and are not widespread. However, a Homebuyer Survey or Building Survey will advise you of any past or present subsidence issues.

A common cause of movement in property is defective drains particularly experienced again in an older property. As most of Peterborough consists of modern property this is not a widespread problem.

In summary, most houses can be susceptible to some form of movement whether it be initial shrinkage and settlement for more serious forms such as subsidence.  It is the purpose of the Building Survey or Homebuyer Report to identify any form of movement and to determine whether it is an ongoing serious problem.

Given the low-lying ground levels it’s not surprising parts of Peterborough have been flooded in the past but there are no recently recorded problems.

Types Of Construction In Peterborough

Most properties in Peterborough are of traditional masonry construction. Since the early 1970s, a significant number of timber-framed properties have been constructed by both the Peterborough Development Corporation and private construction companies. Homebuyer Reports are suitable for both types of construction. There are a few properties of non-traditional construction. These are mainly in Paston where a number of houses built by the Peterborough Development Corporation are of Cast in-situ concrete. Homebuyer reports are unsuitable for non-traditional forms of housing and if you are considering buying one then you will need a Building Survey.

A new development of low energy houses is being built near the football ground. These are constructed to the 2015 Building regulations and have additional wall insulation, low air leakage and ventilation systems that incorporate heat recovery equipment.

Homesurv Ltd’s Coverage Of Peterborough

Homesurv has undertaken Homebuyer Reports and Building Surveys in Peterborough for over 15 years.

We cover post codes PE1, PE2, PE3, PE4, PE5, PE6, PE7 and PE8.

• PE1 – Dogsthorpe, Eastfield, Eastgate, Fengate, Millfield, Newark, New England, Parnwell
• PE2 – Fletton, The Ortons, Stanground
• PE3 – Bretton, Longthorpe, Netherton, Ravensthorpe
• PE4 – Gunthorpe, Paston, Walton
• PE5 – Castor and Ailsworth
• PE6 – Deepings, Thorney and Eye
• PE7 – The Hamptons and Cardea
• PE8 – Oundle and surrounding Villages