Kevin Stevens is a passionate and fascinating individual, not to mention highly talented and skilled. But apart from being a renowned international real estate developer, famous from the Midlands to Majorca, he has a vocation in his career. It was not always there but it emerged as a result of a near-death experience he suffered in 2012 while recovering from a car accident caused by a suspected stroke.
“During my recovery process, I had been in a coma for a while, the doctors and surgeons, including one who actually held my heart in his hand while they tried to revive me some 17 times, told or rather tried to explain to me what had happened to me drip by drip. I eventually understood why. They were still unsure how much brain damage I had sustained and didn’t want to overload me with information about my medical state. But after having come through that recovery process, I felt a new purpose, I felt compelled to do something and do it as well as possible,” Kevin told the Bulletin during the presentation of two luxury villas in Camp de Mar his development company has just completed.
It was rather surreal talking to Kevin in such luxurious surroundings. On the one hand he is extremely passionate about his new vocation while highly enthusiastic about his top-end, multi-million euro developments in Gstaad and more recently Majorca. “Back in the UK, in Grimsby, we’ve just completed a development of new housing which start at 180,000 pounds, while these villas here in Majorca are in the six million euro range. And as I sit here in the sun looking out at this priceless view, I am waiting for the all clear from the British government to go ahead with a new housing scheme for the over-50s, who have either been recently discharged from hospital but still need medical and social care or those who need social housing for other health reasons.”
For example, he is working on a community development next to the £45m village called King’s Park next to Grimsby’s Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital.
The scheme includes homes for the over-55s and those which support the requirements of the hospital and the nearby community.
The homes are part of a wider development which also has outline planning permission for a ‘step down’ care unit next to the hospital to support patients leaving the wards but who require ongoing nursing care before returning home.
“The whole idea is to get people, who no longer need a hospital bed but need post-operative care, out of hospitals but into properly designed homes which meet their needs and those of local medical staff. That way we can ease pressure on hospital beds and the NHS as a whole. The idea has been welcomed by the local authorities; the government and other areas have approached me to develop similar projects. From the NHS to local councils and Westminster, they all seem to get what I am trying to do and they’re on board, which is wonderful news for me and my team. It’s going to be a game changer,” Kevin said.
In the meantime, Kevin, President and Founder of the E5 Group, a Fellow member of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors with more than 30 years of experience in the private and commercial real estate investment and development sector, has been promoting two of his new developments in Camp de Mar which are now exclusively on the market with Engel & Völkers.
Villa Anguli and the highlight of the project, Villa Statera, are both what Kevin describes as “intelligent homes.”
“Sustainability is the key for me, as is making sure that all my properties, whatever end of the market they may be, sit well in their surrounding environments and, what is crucial to me, that they immediately feel like home to potential buyers.
“One thing is building a property. The most important factor, from my point of view, is that when a viewer walks through the door, it feels like home and they get a wow factor.
“Hence why, making use of the very latest technology, the very best materials, natural when at all possible, and interior designers, we take a practical approach and spend a great deal of time thinking about people’s lifestyles.
“For example, both properties feature areas which encourage married couples, partners and the family to sit together and talk. Ditch the mobiles, tablets and all that - come together as a couple or a family and spend some quality time together; that is what our properties are about. Yes, location is always key - always has been, always will be - but we also want to provide quality of life, the perfect home.”
And Villa Statera does just that. “It does what it says on the tin,” Kevin simply pointed out.
The villa is situated on an elevated plot which offers spectacular all-round views over the bay of Camp de Mar, the Tramuntana Mountains and the open sea. The beach and golf course of Camp de Mar and the exclusive fishing and marina harbour of Puerto Andratx are only a few minutes away. The villa with a modern design combines high-quality materials together with an open living concept. Due to the floor to ceiling windows, the light-flooded rooms offer fantastic views of the sea. Besides the spacious living and dining area with an open kitchen, Villa Statera provides four suites, each with a bathroom and many terraces. Other highlights are the Jacuzzi in the glass patio, the spectacular roof terrace, spacious parking lots, elevator to all levels, swimming pool, floor heating (heat pump), air conditioning (cold/warm), gas fireplace, and a beautiful entrance. The villa has been equipped with furniture from the famous interior decorator Terraza Balear. They say ‘home is where the heart is’ and these properties have been built with plenty of heart.
“It’s not just a visual thing; these properties have a feeling.”