New homes planned in historic lakeside town

IDEAL FOR BRITONS WORKING IN GENEVA

Plans to build state-of-the-art new homes in a French Alpine location which has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years have been announced by the region’s leading developer, MGM French Properties.

Four contemporary three-storey buildings together comprising 26 apartments set in landscaped gardens are planned for Le Clos Elisée in Annecy-le-Vieux, the oldest part of the lakeside town of Annecy where archaeologists found the remains of a waterfront settlement dating back to 3100 BC.

The spacious twenty-first century homes, which feature south-facing floor-to-ceiling windows, have been positioned to combine maximum levels of natural light and sunshine with privacy on terraces and roof gardens.

The apartments have been designed to achieve the French Bâtiment Basse Consommation (BBC) standard which is awarded by Effinergie, the standards agency for low energy consumption buildings.

Among energy-saving features are: lighting activated by movement detectors, switching off automatically when no-one is around; low-energy light bulbs in communal areas; geothermal heat pumps to extract and use energy which occurs naturally underground; low-cost under-floor heating, and flow regulators on all taps.

Richard Deans, who heads MGM’s London-based UK sales office (telephone 0207 4940706) says that the new apartments are conveniently positioned for easy access to local shops as well as the heart of the old-world town of Annecy with its mediaeval cobbled streets and ‘Little Venice’ canal network.

“For Britons working in Geneva, Annecy is the ideal place to live,” says Richard. “The cost of living is substantially lower than that in the Swiss city and the drive-time for commuters is less than half an hour. Le Clos Elisée is only 20 minutes from Geneva Airport by road.”

Every apartment comes with an underground garage which is included in the purchase price.

Many buyers of MGM’s properties in Annecy are attracted by its year-round appeal. In summer sailing, watersports and fishing can be enjoyed on the 14 km long lake which has been dubbed ‘the cleanest in Europe.’ In the ski season the Haute Savoie slopes of La Clusaz and Le Grand Bornand are only 30 minutes away by road.

The university town of Annecy, which is twinned with Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, hosts festivals, conferences, exhibitions and theatrical performances throughout the year.

The properties available to buy at Le Clos Elisée range in size from one-bedroom apartments with a floor area of 57 sq m and priced at €375,000 to a 95 sq m three-bedroom penthouse at €600,000. For more information about Le Clos Elisée call MGM on 0207 4940706, email [email protected] or visit the website http://www.mgmfrenchproperties.com