BESPOKE HOMES IN ANNECY SHOW CONSERVATION PLEDGE

Bespoke new homes planned for an historic lakeside town in the Haute-Savoie region of France will be a showcase for environmentally-friendly development.

That is the claim of leading French Alpine developer MGM which has just started work on exclusive new luxury apartments at La Reserve in the historic and picturesque lakeside town of Annecy.

A view of Lake Annecy in the Haute-Savoie region of France.

Comprising two three-storey buildings together containing 17 one- to three-bedroom apartments in the residential area fronting Annecy’s prestigious Avenue d’Albigny – dubbed the Champs �lys�es of Annecy,’ it is said to be the town’s most enviable address’ – La Reserve follows the success of MGM’s first three developments in the area.

In the latest scheme – La Villa d’Artagnan – all but one of the 18 homes ranging from one-bedroom apartments to a four-bedroom duplex have been sold but MGM is retaining its show apartment so that off-plan buyers at La Reserve can see the variety and calibre of the finishes available.

Says Richard Deans, sales consultant in MGM’s London office: “La Reserve, which features a contemporary external and internal design, is highly unusual as buyers can choose from a huge variety of kitchens, bathrooms, doors, tiles and other finishes to personalise their bespoke home.”

All the properties will have spacious balconies or terraces, many with views of the lake and mountains.

This computer-generated image shows how La Reserve in Annecy will look when it is completed. The development in the historic lakeside town will be a showcase for environmentally-friendly development, says developer MGM.

“MGM has pledged to design and build homes which respect and help to conserve the environment and natural resources,” says Richard. “Those planned at La Reserve will be a showcase for environmentally-friendly development.”

For MGM it has been company policy for more than 20 years to insulate external walls, despite the fact that, in France, this became a legal requirement only in 2007. The levels of both thermal and acoustic insulation MGM installs in all its properties exceeds the standards demanded by French building standards.

MGM’s efforts to reduce energy consumption mean that, for more than ten years, its new homes have incorporated a master switch so that lights are not left on unintentionally. In apartment buildings, lighting in communal areas is activated by movement detectors, switching itself off when no-one is around.

To heat La Reserve, geothermal pumps will extract and convey on a heat-exchanger basis (like the back of a refrigerator) the energy which occurs naturally in the lake and in the air.

Already MGM is reducing the carbon emissions caused by transporting workers and materials to its construction sites. Local contractors are being used, with accommodation being provided on-site in some cases. Where possible, local materials like stone and timber are sourced from nearby quarries and sustainable forests.

Prices of the apartments at La Reserve, which will be ready for occupation in the summer of 2011, start at €560,000 for a two-bedroom apartment of 64 sq ft. Investors could expect to achieve a monthly rental income for a two-bedroom apartment of in the region of €1,600 to €1,700 during the ski season and summer months, says Richard.

For full details of La Reserve call 0207 4940706, email [email protected] or visit the website www.mgm-constructeur.com