Variety is the spice of life – and Reading gives residents plenty to choose from, both in lifestyle options and newly built homes, finds Johnny Turner.
Reading offers a varied lifestyle to residents of all stripes. It is immensely well-connected, with great road and rail links into London, the West and the North. The local area also has a thriving economy – it acts as a central location for many types of business, notably the telecommunications and computer software industries. And as a hub for sporting events, shopping, nightlife and entertainment, it is unrivalled in the region. Natural beauty is all around – the rivers Thames and Kennet meet here and rolling countryside, including country parks, is within minutes of this busy, buzzy town. The great benefit of living in or near Reading is that you have a choice of the type of life you want to lead: you can be as quiet or as connected as you wish to be – or find a good combination of the two qualities.
Residents of Reading may be university students, young families, businesspeople or older people – the town has drawing power because it has the facilities that people want. Homes in the area also have a knack for providing what local people want – be it modern apartments or traditional family houses. The current selection of newly built homes certainly offers something for everyone.
Westbury Homes is selling a range of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes at its Greenfields development in Burghfield Common. Currently available homes include the two-bedroom Boyton house type and the three-bedroom Sutton and Leicester types. Each of these homes features an en suite shower room to the master bedroom.
Prices currently range from £184,000 to £368,000. The sales office is open daily from 11am to 6pm. Contact Teresa Sutherns-Wyatt or Daryl Arnold on 07720 805 377 or visit westbury-homes.co.uk for more information.
Another development from Westbury that is bringing in the buyers is The Monastery, located off Southcote Road. When complete the scheme will have a range of 32 luxury two-bedroom apartments. Current prices range from £255,000 to £300,000. Contact Jim Nutley on 0118 958 9060 to find out more.
Kennet Heath is an attractive new development with a multitude of home styles – it offers two-bedroom apartments as well as two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom houses. And its location is an extra bonus: it is situated in Thatcham, one of England’s oldest towns, with excellent access to the A4, which in turn puts you in touch with the M4, A34, M40 and M3. Each home has been traditionally constructed and offers a wealth of individual features.
The Burns 2 five-bedroom detached show home is now available to view; this will give you a good idea of the standard of this truly remarkable Redrow development. Currently for sale is the Shelley three-bedroom house type, available from £234,950; other three-bedroom homes are also available. Five-bedroom houses are on the market from £384,950. Call 01635 863026 to get more information. Keep up with the latest on this and other developments online at redrow.co.uk.
Bovis Homes has a good presence in the Reading area, with one development currently available and another coming soon. Chatsworth Park is a brand new Bovis development of two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom homes including town houses. Located in the popular town of Winnersh, Chatsworth Park is very well placed for access to both Reading and Wokingham. Current availability includes two-bedroom homes from £194,950; three-bedroom homes from £229,950; four-bedrooms from £339,950 and five-bedroom homes from £439,950.
Also from Bovis is an upcoming development, Warren Croft, set in the attractive village of Spencers Wood. These two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom homes will be within easy reach of the A33, as well as Reading and Wokingham.
For more information about either of these developments call 01474 879888.
Kenmore Homes announces two ambitious projects in Reading which will yield brilliant results for those in search of a fabulous apartment. McIlroys is the conversion of the upper floors of an Edwardian department store to provide 58 private ownership apartments and eight which are allocated for affordable housing. The very central location in Oxford Road is sure to have buyers scrambling for the remaining flats.
For more information contact Charles Wilkinson at Kenmore’s Winchester office on 01962 867474.
Another centrally located scheme from Kenmore is the Indigo Apartments in Crown Street, which is a combination of the conversion of existing 1970s offices and new build to create 16 new luxury loft-style apartments near Reading’s acclaimed Oracle Centre. The development is within walking distance of all town centre amenities, including the main railway station. The optimisation of floor areas, combined with technological advances, has created a modern, functional home with immense appeal to urban dwellers.
The sales office at Indigo Apartments is open Thursdays to Mondays from 10am to 5pm. Find out more by calling 0118 953 8700.
Bewley Homes is selling a select development of high-specification two-, three- and four-bedroom houses and two-bedroom apartments in the quiet tree-lined residential spot of Parkside Road. Parkside Gardens is only minutes from the lively centre of Reading and is well placed for the railway station and motorway networks.
Those who commute by train into London Paddington will find very frequent services taking only 36 minutes. For international travel, Heathrow Airport is only 30 minutes away via the M4.
Prices currently start at £195,000. Call the sales office, open daily, on 0118 939 1593.
CALA Homes (South) has recently launched two stunning developments in the Reading area – Warren Glade in Woodley and Oak View, which borders Purley-on-Thames.
Warren Glade offers a range of stylish homes which will appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers; there are 31 two- and three-bedroom cottages and town houses as well as ten two-bedroom apartments. The area boasts good schools, a wide choice of local shops, parks and greens, and friendly pubs and restaurants. The development is perfect for young professionals, downsizers and families, and has received a high level of interest from prospective purchasers. Eleven properties have already been sold. The two-bedroom show cottage allows buyers to view the combination of traditional build and contemporary design that makes these homes special.
Prices at Warren Glade start from £199,995. For further information contact Wentworth Estate Agents on 0118 969 2999 or visit the development, which is located off Warren Road in North Woodley.
CALA’s Oak View, meanwhile, is situated in Long Lane. It has proved so popular with buyers that CALA has launched three show homes in as many months – and the third is expected to be snapped up as quickly as the other two.
The Oak View development now consists of attractive four-bedroom traditional semi-detached and detached houses in a variety of sizes. There are also stunning two-bedroom apartments ranging from 667 to 1,076 sq ft.
The location is a major asset; the development backs on to an area of outstanding natural beauty and is near good schools such as the Long Lane Primary School and Purley CoE Infants School. Good local amenities are also nearby, as are transport links, including a rail service to London Paddington.
Prices for an apartment at Oak View start at £199,950; houses range from £349,000 to £499,950. Contact the sales suite on 0118 945 3171 or selling agents The Romans Group on 0118 943 9400.
Crest Nicholson offers an intriguing mix of the fast life and the quiet life at its Montague Park development in Shinfield. This collection of homes is perfect for those who can’t commit to either town or country living; it offers the beauty and peaceful mood of a rustic environment as well as proximity to the working world. This is especially pertinent to today’s buyer, for whom access to an income and a high level of quality of life are both important factors.
Buyers so far have included busy executives, says Graeme Milne, managing director of Crest Nicholson South. ‘Here they have the benefits of an exclusive and spacious home that is on the perimeter of the countryside in semi-rural Shinfield and also just four miles from the heart of thriving Reading,’ he says.
Montague Park features a selection of individually designed two-, three- and four-bedroom home in a peaceful residential area just off Church Lane in Shinfield. Less than a mile and a half from junction 11 of the M4 and only 3.5 miles from Earley station, Shinfield is perfect for commuters who truly want the best of both worlds. Here they can enjoy the dual benefits of commuting quickly and easily to the heart of London, while also living amidst an intriguing mix of old and new – an area where town meets country and ancient buildings and coaching inns are as easy to access as high-tech facilities and shopping options.
Prices at Montague Park start at just £199,000 for a two-bedroom coach house, and from £289,950 for a three-bedroom house. Four-bedroom detached properties start at £355,000. The development is open daily from 10am to 5pm. For more information contact 0118 988 5704.