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The Founder and Managing Director is Vasantha Jayasuriya and his son Vivek Jayasuriya is the Business Development Director. Lovers Leap waterfall, Pidurutalagala and Adam’s Peak are a few of the geographical marvels that can be viewed from any of the dwelling’s windows.
Amounting to a total of $ 10 million, the first phase of the project consists of 17 cottages and is now underway and 13 units have been sold within the price range of Rs. 60 million and above depending on the number of square feet of the home, its finishes and its location on the property.
Homes average 3000 square feet with four bedrooms and luxury en-suite bathrooms and contain two floors plus a loft with 45-degree pitched roofs. Buyers can choose between purchasing a fully-furnished turnkey solution or they can customise the interiors to their taste. Each cottage includes authentic Chesterfield sofas, a cast iron fireplace imported from Scotland, high-end linens, curtains and well-appointed kitchens.
Another 19 units are to be constructed in the second phase and, adding value to the community, the developers have announced the ground-breaking ceremony for the Little England Cottages Clubhouse, which will take place in January 2015.
The clubhouse will span 12,000 square feet and feature a restaurant, bar, gym, spa, sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and seven luxury rooms. Adjacent to the clubhouse will be a duck pond and play area for children.
Infrastructure and architecture
A nature strip hemmed in by shrubs of flowers and fruits, a jogging track, paved roads, curb end channels, underground drainage, rounded curb sides and English-style lampposts slither between the cottages, making up the road network leading to them.
For added security, a 10-foot typical English wrought iron gate and fence circles the entire land. Every house is equipped with a backup generator, a central heating system powered by LP Gas and necessary cabling for Ethernet and floor heating.
“The infrastructure that is in place at Little England Cottages is on par with international standards. With this project we have set a benchmark in the real estate development sector, especially in Nuwara Eliya. Since the commencement of this project, the UDA in Nuwara Eliya is sending other project managers to take note of the layout. The UDA and the municipality have recognised us as an authority for English architecture,” Jaysons Holdings Business Development Director Vivek Jayasuriya explained.
As soon as you enter the gates of Little England Cottages you may notice that each house has a unique look derived from different eras of English architecture ranging from the Tudor, Edwardian, Victorian and Georgian periods, to name a few.
Elaborating on the concept and the planning process of the project, Jaysons Holdings Ltd. Founder and Managing Director Vasantha Jayasuriya stated: “Tom Brown school days, Oliver Twist, Second World War films painted a vivid picture of what England looked like in the old days. My travels to the UK’s countryside inspired me more and when I came back I appreciated the architecture that the British had left behind. Little England Cottages is just an improvement on the colonial footprints. The houses we have built look more English than the houses you would see in the town.”
Finding Fitzgerald
James Fitzgerald, an Irish builder with over 40 years’ experience in the construction industry in UK, is the master builder and design consultant for Little England Cottages. Vasantha met James in 1997 and when he was in England, James took time off to give him a preview of the local construction industry. The duo visited sites in Midlands Lake District and Scotland and drew up a plan to start a housing project in Sri Lanka in 1997.
Due to family priorities Vasantha had to drop the project. In 2011 however Vasantha wanted to implement the project and coincidentally had met James at a friend’s house.
“James was in Sri Lanka for a brief visit and was due to board a flight to UK the next day. I mentioned that I was starting up the project that we planned in 1997 and over dinner he postponed the flight for three days and agreed to come and have a look at the property in Moon Plains. After visiting the site I asked James whether he would be interested in being a part of the project and head the building side of it and ever since he has only gone back for holidays and is fully involved in the project.”
The homes can be purchased for use as a holiday home, an investment property or as place to retire. Based on the projected minimum annual occupancy rate of 60% in Nuwara Eliya, buyers should be able to earn 6% to 8% income per annum should they use the property as an investment.
With the tremendous appreciation potential of the area, investors could easily see double digit returns on their investment. The growing popularity of Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka presents tremendous opportunities for investors in real estate and hospitality. The owners of Little England Cottages will be direct beneficiaries.
Pix by Mirshad Buckman
