Quick and easy access to South East England’s motorway network is a real plus when in the market for a new home. Anna Bowden investigates some newly built homes with road-friendliness.
Many new home developments are high quality, set in beautiful grounds and excellent value for money, but not all are well placed for amenities and travel connections. If you work from home then these developments could be ideal for you, but if you need access to excellent road links for work and/or shopping and leisure facilities, then you might need to be slightly more discerning. Here we bring you a selection of new developments excellently placed for access to good road networks.
Barracks Chase by Kavanagh Homes is an exceptional development of just three spacious five-bedroom detached houses in the sought-after Buckinghamshire village of Nash. The houses provide flexible internal living space, whether your preference is for formal or informal living, with bright, airy interiors and well-proportioned rooms.
The combined kitchen/family room/breakfast room is ideal for those who love to entertain. A separate dining room leading off from the kitchen means that cooking and eating can be kept separate for more formal dinner parties. And each property has been designed with a fantastic interior specification, which includes low voltage down lighters in every room, top quality bathrooms and built-in integrated appliances – including stainless steel cooker, microwave, dishwasher, American fridge/freezer and coffee machine.
Keith Fisher, marketing director for this scheme, says, ‘We wanted to create an open area with a relaxing and sociable feel, and by extending the kitchen to include a conservatory this has been accomplished. We understand the stresses and strains of modern life and to come home to a relaxed atmosphere is, in my opinion, very important.
‘We have definitely looked to the future by installing Cat 5 cabling, allowing home networking and integrated communications from any room in the house. Also fitted to each reception room and the master bedroom suite are plasma TV points.’
Managing director Julian Kavanagh is also pleased with the end product. ‘We have again excelled in producing high quality homes in an exquisite part of Buckinghamshire, with views overlooking the open countryside, yet close to all amenities and road and rail networks.
Since the successful launch in September two plots have been reserved, leaving just Paddock House remaining, priced at £714,995. For details call 01525 215940.
Countryside Properties is now offering Sterling Place in Weybridge, Surrey, a lovely gated development surrounded by mature trees, where four three-bedroom town houses now remain for sale. Exteriors at Sterling Place are in the Edwardian style, characterised by red brick and detailed ornamentation such as sandstone banding and Tudor style timber relief. The stylish interiors have luxurious fittings and fixtures, such as doors inlaid with walnut and kitchen surfaces made from imported granite. Bathrooms feature designer labels such as Duravit Starck sanitary ware and Siemens and Hansgrohe chrome fittings.
Sterling Place, which also boasts a courtyard for residents to enjoy, is conveniently placed for commuting by both road and rail. Weybridge mainline station offers frequent 30-minute services into London Waterloo and the M25 and A3 are also close by, bringing London and Heathrow and Gatwick Airports close.
Prices for remaining homes at Sterling Place start from £475,000. The developer is also offering purchasers full value part-exchange or stamp duty paid, meaning that buyers do not need to pay estate agents’ fees. For sales enquiries call 0845 071 2073 or visit sterlingplaceweybridge.co.uk.
Antler Homes is building Danes Heath, a smart new development of five four-bedroom and two five-bedroom detached houses in the desirable Surrey village of Oxshott. The development is surrounded by protected greenbelt land and to the rear there are fantastic views of the open countryside.
Karen Lee-Brindle, sales director of Antler Homes Southern, comments, ‘Considering its close proximity to London, Surrey retains a surprisingly rural feel. Over one-third of the country has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The selection of family homes we are building in Oxshott will offer home buyers the opportunity to live in a peaceful setting away from the hustle and bustle of London. However, it is also conveniently located for access to the centres of Guildford and Kingston and their excellent shopping and entertainment facilities.’
Living accommodation at Danes Heath comprises a kitchen/breakfast area with AEG stainless steel double oven, dishwasher and integrated fridge/freezer. In the five-bedroom properties there is an additional family room. The sitting room features French doors which lead out onto a patio area and rear garden. There is a separate dining room and home office and some of the houses also benefit from a conservatory. Upstairs, the master bedroom boasts an en suite bathroom and a dressing room in the four-bedroom houses. The front bedroom has an integral balcony and all homes boast a garage.
Homes at Danes Heath are situated less than half a mile away from the 200 acres of Oxshott Heath, an area ideal for walking, horse riding and other recreational activities. And transport-wise the development is ideal. Trains into London Waterloo take just 30 minutes, while junction 9 of the M25 is approximately one mile away. The village is also well located for both Gatwick and Heathrow Airports. Prices at Danes Heath start from £599,950. Call 01372 843848.
Barratt’s The Firs at Bexley Grange development, on the site of the former Bexley Hospital and its grounds in Bexley, Kent, has proved so popular with buyers that it is already 90 per cent sold out, weeks ahead of construction. Homes at the site range from one- and two-bedroom apartments to three- and four-bedroom town houses and up to six- and seven-bedroom detached houses with gardens and double garages.
The development is close to the A2 Rochester Way, which runs into central London and east towards Medway, rural Kent and Dover. It also connects with the M25, and the Dartford Crossing is less than two miles away, bringing Lakeside and Bluewater shopping centres within easy striking distance.
Barratt acquired the land from the local Oxleas NHS Trust and has demolished most of the existing buildings. The redevelopment is part of a major regeneration scheme involving two local Barratt divisions and other home builders. Wayne Clarke, sales director for Barratt South London, says, ‘The Firs has already proved a hit with home buyers. We’re providing great value for money and good designs in a location where there is obviously strong demand.’
All homes feature fully fitted kitchens, spacious living rooms and well-proportioned master bedrooms, some of which boast en suite bathrooms and/or walk-in wardrobes. Other desirable features include double glazing, front and rear gardens and private parking facilities.
Prices at The Firs start from £354,950 for a four-bedroom home. To find out more call the marketing suite, open daily between 10am and 6pm, on 01322 551080.
Hillreed Homes is currently offering three classic house types at its Orchard Place development in Iwade near Sittingbourne, Kent. Jo Richards, sales and marketing co-ordinator for Hillreed, says, ‘As a company we are aware that people like homes built in the local vernacular. They are proud to be resident in Kent and like to reflect this in the house styles. We also appreciate the changing needs of modern house buyers and take all this into account when deciding which house types are to be built.’ The homes on offer at Orchard Place are four-bedroom houses all with garages: the Amberley, the Nuthurst and the Queenborough styles.
Iwade itself is extremely convenient, and residents will benefit from not only its peaceful location but also its excellent transport links. It is within easy reach of Sittingbourne, the Medway towns and Maidstone as well as the M20 and M25 motorways.
Prices at Orchard Place start from £230,950 for the Amberley house type. Call 01795 435335 for more details.
Rydon Homes has recently launched The Gables, its superior development of houses in the historic village of Headcorn. Nestled amid mature trees, natural ponds and protected wildlife, phase one at the Gables comprises 20 two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom detached and terraced houses with gabled roofs in the traditional Kentish vernacular, carefully and sympathetically designed to become a natural addition to Headcorn and its historic properties.
Two ponds at The Gables, around which the homes are arranged, were identified by an environmental survey as an important breeding habitat for the great crested newt. Ann Fulker, sales and marketing director of Rydon Homes, says, ‘Conserving the environment in which we build has always been integral to the way in which Rydon approaches its development of new homes. We also take pride in designing homes which fit seamlessly into the existing environment.’
The Gables is close to the A247, connecting it to the county town of Maidstone, and is within 15 minutes of the M20 and its fast links to Ashord International Eurostar station. Prices start from £199,950. For further information call 01342 827098.
Fairclough is now offering The Chase in Sandhurst, where traditional three- and four-bedroom semi-detached homes are on offer from £294,950 and two-bedroom apartments from £179,950. These are highly specified homes complete with light fittings, curtains and blinds in an extremely convenient location close to the M3 motorway, which links with the M4 to provide access to the South West, Wales and central London. For more information call 0845 676 0163.