The Marches, Native Residential’s new collection of Build to Rent apartments in the heart of Woking, Surrey, offers a range of functional and operational features intended to provide residents with optimum and sustainable living. The scheme includes 429 studio, one and two bedroom apartments, plus several communal spaces created for varying purposes.
The apartments include a range of inbuilt sustainability features. Each apartment features a Scandinavian-style floor trench heating and cooling system, designed to heat the rooms evenly. The system restricts drafts and eliminates cold spots, an economical alternative to traditional heating systems. The Marches also recycles its waste to create fuel. Along with waste from Woking shopping centre, all waste from The Marches is collected, crushed and converted into biofuel. By using waste as fuel, Native Residential intend to diminish the demand for landfill and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Other key sustainability features include electric vehicle charging points in the car park and bike storage.
A selection of the furniture used to furnish the apartments and communal areas at The Marches has been designed and manufactured in the UK, using British talent and expertise, with the objective of eliminating harmful fuel emissions from overseas hauliers. Rugs throughout the buildings have been supplied by Weaver Green, an organisation whose textiles are made from 100% recycled PET plastic bottles. All wood is certified by the FSC and the majority of the furniture is recyclable.
Upon moving in, all residents are given a welcome box made in partnership with Bare +Fair, a local zero waste shop. Contributing to sustainable living, each box includes items selected for refilling and reusing. The Marches have partnered with over 60 local organisations that will play a central role in the community through the provision of various forms of support.
The Marches contains social spaces that are designed to enhance the mental wellbeing of residents by creating a community and facilitating relationships between residents. This includes co-working spaces for working from home, a ‘cosy lounge’ with an inbuilt screen for movie and TV screenings, communal kitchens which residents can hire for private events, and a community support hub to provide ongoing support. The scheme is is host to an array of events and pop-ups that encourage sustainable living, and there are regular events and activities for residents to get involved in.
Residents also benefit from other amenities including a 24-hour concierge, a laundry service, and a dedicated lift that transports residents to the M&S Food Hall located on the ground floor. Every apartment is pet friendly. The onsite team offer and arrange dog walking, pet sitting and grooming services. The Marches has also partnered with a range of over 40 local businesses to offer exclusive discounts to residents.
