Groundlocal Property Management Limited (GPML) was set up upon completion of the construction of the Nunnery Fields estate by Abbey Homes in 1998. It was always the plan of Abbey Homes to pass the management of the estate to a "self run" company after they had completed construction and left the area. The Company was therefore set up, with the aims of maintaining the open spaces, primarily the areas surrounding the balance pond above the high water line and the Green, also taking ownership of tree safety where applicable. In its early days, GPML was also involved in a project to sell some small parcels of land to adjacent property owners, this is now completed.

Why does Groundlocal exist ?
Groundlocal was set up by Abbey Homes, the developer of Nunnery Fields, to take responsibility for the maintenance of the open spaces. There are three tracts of land jointly owned by everyone who owns a house on the development: they are the areas around the attenuation pond by the entrance to Nunnery Fields, the Green adjacent to Goshawk Way and a small strip of land between the BTO reserve and the development (some of this strip of land has been sold to owners). Abbey Homes set up Groundlocal Property Management Limited as a registered company and placed these three areas of land in its care.The objectives are to maintain the major areas of the estate in good condition, and to keep the estate tidy and safe for people living on the estate to enjoy and take pride in. A well-maintained estate will make the area attractive for potential purchasers and help to maintain house prices. It also provides for good value for money, whilst maintaining a level of in-house control over these areas that would simply not be possible by any of the other available means. These alternative, and thus far less attractive options would of course be to contract out our open spaces to a third party company over which there would ultimately be less control (this option would be a FAR more expensive one for each property to cover), or to approach the local authority to adopt all of these areas, which even if accepted (difficult), would result in no control and reduced priorites as of course the estate would then be on a priorities list with everything else which needs addressing within Breckland, and finally, most importantly, a large one-off payment of thousands of pounds due, for which we would all become liable.

So - Who runs Groundlocal ?
Groundlocal is a registered company and is therefore run by a board of directors. The directors are all owners of properties on Nunnery Fields who give their time voluntarily to Groundlocal. They meet regularly to agree maintenance contracts, address any issues arising and agree long term plans for the replacement of fences and planting as needed. Public liability insurance, accounts and all legal matters relating to open spaces are looked after with due diligence.

How can I have my say ?
Every year all owners are invited to the Annual General Meeting held at a local venue. Groundlocal always welcomes new directors and if you would like to support our development please contact the directors, either at the meeting, or anytime using the "contact us" link above.

Company Directors Eligibility :-
By being an owner of a Nunnery Fields Estate property you automatically become a company member and eligible to be a director. We are always interested in company members wanting to join the team of directors, especially if their day job has useful transferable skills. In other words, as long as you OWN a property within the estate (and are not a tenant in one owned by somebody else), you are eligible to join the Groundlocal team.

What is the service charge for and do I have to pay it ?
Every year, following agreement at the AGM, a service charge notice is issued to all property owners. This charge is used to maintain the open spaces, cover public liability and directors insurance and the minimal administrative costs of running Groundlocal. The service charge is legally binding and must be paid. Simply put you are responsible through Groundlocal for the upkeep of the land we jointly own.

Service Charges :-
The service charge is requested from each property annually in March. The amount is decided by the directors based on finances required and projects planned to be undertaken during the year ahead.

For the avoidance of any confusion, although the service charge is due in March, it actually relates to the GPML financial year which commenced during the previous year on the 1st November. In other words, the service charge covers from 1st November in year "a" to 31st October in year "b" but is actually collected in March during year "b".

The above paragraph is included to clarify the requirements of which party becomes liable for the charge when a property changes ownership.

The charge this year is £45 per household which is a small rise on last year to cover the extra costs that inflation has caused. Payments are due by 23:59hrs on Thursday 28th March 2024. (Please bear in mind that the above date leads up to a bank holiday weekend, so please ensure to allow time for your bank to process it).

This is easily paid via online or telephone banking, to the account details below :-
Your reference: First line of your address; a/c no: 71753940; sort code: 40 15 22 - Groundlocal Property Management Limited - Bank HSBC

Who are Groundlocal?