A place in the countryside – Hopkins & Partners

Hopkins & Partners have set up shop in Herstmonceux to help buyers find their ideal homes in the East Sussex countryside

Personal service, integrity and reliability are three things James Hopkins and Neil Gamble of Hopkins & Partners believe is missing from today’s sales and lettings industry. This is why they have set out with a fresh approach governed by each of these values, alongside the strict code of conduct outlined by the Office of Fair Trading and the Association of Residential Letting Agents.

The business was first started in 2005 by James Hopkins in an office in Hyde Gardens, Eastbourne and has since grown steadily into a team of six based across two offices: one prominent shop front at Ivy Terrace, Eastbourne and a new branch in Gardner Street, Herstmonceux.

The new branch is a welcome addition to the small but ever-popular village in the Wealden district of East Sussex, which currently only has one other sales and lettings agent.  Hopkins & Partners will serve all areas in the parish of Herstmonceux, which includes the village of Cowbeech and a number of smaller hamlets. This area at the heart of 1066 country is peppered with an impressive number of beautiful period properties surrounded by wooded hills as well as the luscious green fields of the Rickney marshes. Other local attractions include the stunning redbrick Herstmonceux castle, the annual Medieval festival and, for parents with young children, the Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School.

Hopkins & Partners will also serve the up-and-coming area of nearby North Hailsham, which is seeing a dramatic rise in the number of building developments thanks to the council-approved Wealden Core Strategy Local Plan.

The Local Plan will guide Hailsham’s continued development until 2027, and looks set to include new schools, workplaces and housing while at the same time preserving important landscape features. A number of large supermarket chains have already realised the retail potential of Hailsham: both Tesco and Adsa have recently opened large branches near the centre of town and an additional 5930 m² of retail space has been allocated for further development. The council is also working on ways to improve access to and the infrastructure within the town by introducing better public transport links. All of this combines to make the Wealden area increasingly desirable for people looking for a rural property that offers all the perks of a country lifestyle, without being too far from bars, restaurants and retail areas – something that James and Neil hope to assist with.

Hopkins & Partners aims to rise above local competition by becoming an integral part of the communities they work in. One of the most unique aspects of Hopkins & Partners is its community spirit, both in terms of its links within Eastbourne itself and its efforts on social media site twitter, where their page currently has over 1,000 followers. Business owner James is a member of the Eastbourne Borough FC committee, and also the founder of ‘Borough Means Business’, the official business networking club of Eastbourne Borough. Following this sporting theme, the company recently announced that it had become an official club sponsor at Eastbourne Rugby Club for the foreseeable future. A spokesperson said: “James’s nephew plays for the youth section and the family business wants to put something back into the club.”

Alongside a strong community presence and willingness to support local causes, the success of Hopkins & Partners can also be attributed to the skills and qualities individual members of the team bring to the business. Business owner James has lived in Eastbourne and Wealden all his life and knows the local property market inside out. In 2011, he was awarded the Young Entrepreneur of The Year 2011 by Eastbourne Business Awards for being an exceptional individual aged under 30 who has set up or developed a new business, product, or service. Branch partner Neil Gamble brings additional expertise to the team, having worked in property sales since 1998 for a number of well-known companies.

You can contact James or Neil at their new Wealden branch on 01323 832064 or email wealden@hopkinspartners.com. Or, you can reach the Eastbourne branch on 01323 416123, or email eastbourne@hopkinspartners.com