Property in paradise

Second home purchasing is big business. Sean Collins, CEO of Pure International and Jeremy Paxton, founder of Lower Mill Estate explain why they are targeting UAE nationals and expatriates with a piece of the British countryside.

Though some people may revel in the hectic lifestyle of working in a thriving city - perhaps even remaining there during precious days off - it may not be everyone's cup of tea.
Unfortunately, in the UAE, there are few places for families to take a short break from stressful day-to-day living. Maybe it's time to look a little further afield.

"What I'm looking for, is the antidote," says Jeremy Paxton, the owner and founder of Lower Mill Estate, a nature reserve set in the idyllic Gloucestershire landscape of the UK. At present, the estate is the largest debt-free family-run project in the country.

Having enlisted a number of world-renowned architects to design some of the most inspired properties on the planet within the estate, Paxton has also set about re-colonizing all manner of species, such as otters and water voles, as part of helping people get back to what he calls the "Swallows and Amazons childhood."

Having worked in London for much of his life, Paxton is familiar with the reality of inner-city habitats.

"If you live and work in London, it's a cauldron and it's oppressive. It's necessary for culture. It's necessary for money and it has some quality of life because it has parks and rivers, but it's nothing like the open countryside where you can go and breathe," he explains.

Open spaces

After teaming up with Pure International, which specialises in luxury property, and in particular second homes, Paxton made his way to Dubai to promote his ‘antidote' to stressful urban living.

Though he marvels appreciatively at the pace and scale of development in the UAE, Paxton makes no secret of his belief that Dubai, like London, is in desperate need of an antidote.

"I've wandered around in Dubai for two days and I don't even know where the sea is; I haven't even seen any water! It's extraordinary how the open spaces have not been considered," says Paxton.

Fittingly, Lower Mill Estate is targeting British expatriates and UAE nationals, promising the tranquility of rural England along with all the comforts of any modern home.

Potential buyers

Sean Collins, the CEO and founder of Pure International - the specialist company responsible for property sales at Lower Mill Estate- has already formed a picture of the people these second homes will appeal to.

"The kind of people buying into this project are those who have an interest in how their money performs as an investment over time, whether real estate or stocks and shares," he says.

Though how likely is it people in the UK will be able to cough-up for a second home, when many are having difficulty getting finance for their first?

"We are seeing estate agencies fail, we are probably down 80% in the number of transactions as an industry," says Malcolm Lindley, CEO of Fine & Country International, a luxury real estate agency with headquarters in the UK.

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