New Homes - Family friendly

Larger homes are in short supply, partly as a result of the current emphasis on building apartments. However, Johnny Turner finds, there is still much for the family to like in the new homes market

Case study
Despite current fears about a difficult property market, buyers at Hopkins Homes’ exclusive development, Lawford Park in Lawford, Essex, are undeterred, with many of the purchasers of the most recent phase having waited in anticipation for over a year for these properties to be released for sale, and 75 per cent of the current phase has already been reserved.
Della Kinsmore, a housewife, and her husband Mark, an investment banker, both 44, recently bought a large four-bedroom detached house at the development. Mark and Della have lived in Lawford for the last 22 years. Della comments: ‘We like Lawford because it is green and feels like you are out in the country, however Colchester and Ipswich are only a few miles away. Mark commutes into the City every day, and trains from Manningtree station, which is a short distance down the road, only take an hour into London, which is a good journey. We have been waiting for 18 months to buy this house and we know that many others have done the same so we are not worried about our property depreciating in value.
While demand is so high, prices can only increase, and we are confident that there will always be a high demand for properties here because it is such an exclusive address.’
Della continues: ‘We are both really looking forward to the move, which we hope will be in early spring. This year will bring a few changes: our youngest, Alex (16), will finish school and start college and Melissa (18), our second eldest, will be moving away to university. Mark and I felt that we wanted to do something new for ourselves too. Whilst we have always gone for new properties, this is a much smaller development than anywhere we have ever lived before. We like the fact that the house is traditional in style but has all the benefits of a new build. I especially love the high ceilings, the wooden sash windows and our square living room, which creates a much more sociable living space than our current oblong living room.’
Claire Richards, Head of Sales and Marketing, Hopkins Homes, comments: ‘Houses from the latest phase at Lawford Park have sold phenomenally well and this is testament to the high quality craftsmanship of the properties and their magnificent setting. Lawford Park is a truly unique development designed around sweeping tree-lined avenues and is one of North Essex’s most exclusive new addresses. The high demand for property at Lawford Park reassures us that the market is not dead.’
The properties at Lawford Park combine traditional motte, ruby red and buff brick work with unusual and contemporary features such as pavilion roofs, pillared entrances and Dormer windows with some of the homes incorporating feature towers. Each property benefits from large timber frame sash windows and French doors in the kitchen to make the most of the rural views across The Stour Valley and its water meadows.
Internally, each property has been designed with careful consideration to create light and airy spaces that are as practical as they are impressive. Every home is finished to the finest specification and purchasers can take advantage of a luxury custom built kitchen package, choosing from a range of worktops, units and flooring and wall tiles to suit their tastes.
Ideally placed for commuters, Manningtree station is just 114 metres away and offers services into nearby Ipswich and Colchester, with a journey time of about ten minutes by train. The A12 is also easily accessible, providing routes south to Colchester, Chelmsford, London and north to Ipswich and the A14.
Prices for current availability start at £310,000 for a three-bedroom house.
To register your interest, or for further enquiries, please contact Christine Edwards on 01206 397024 or visit the website: hopkinshomes.co.uk.

Family foundations
Young professionals Faith Houston and Chris Harper chose to buy their first family home at Reading’s urban village Kennet Island. The couple chose a three-bedroom, two-bathroom town house which offered them flexible accommodation over three floors.
Faith Houston explains: ‘Our house gave us ‘ready made’ family living with a garden that came complete with turf and the added bonus of a shed.
‘The property has been very cleverly designed to create two separate living areas over two floors. This gives us the option to have ‘family living space’ for us and our daughter downstairs, with the added benefit of a further ‘adult only living zone’ on the first floor.’
‘We were also delighted with the high specification finish on our new home which meant so many extras came included within the asking price,’ Faith continued.
Her partner, Chris Harper echoes her sentiments: ‘We are really enjoying our new life on the island, its great to be away from the hustle and bustle of city life and yet we are still within such easy reach of the town centre.
‘The development is attracting a real mixture of buyers. We have lots of lovely neighbors, everyone is so sociable - there is a real community spirit evolving.
‘Location wise – we are spoilt for choice - we have so much on our doorstep, all within easy walking distance. Green Park has something to appeal to everyone: for those who enjoy the fresh air you can spend hours exploring the lovely walks in beautiful countryside. For foodies, there is a delicious restaurant, LSQ2. For those who want to stay fit, there is a big Cannons gym. There are also two great crèches, for those looking for childcare close to home.
The Madejski Stadium offers a variety of sporting events and they have a great Jazz Café we’ve been to a few times which is great. The retail park is also on our doorstep with B&Q and Comet and PC World. With Morrisons/Next/Laura Ashley etc just up the road. Basically we really are spoilt for choice. If you want to explore further a field, it only takes 40 mins to stroll into the town centre or less than 10 minutes by car.

Private and tranquil family life at Kingswood Chase
For Emil Jones space, privacy and tranquillity were the top priority when searching for a new home for him and his partner, Elissandra Da Costa, and his nine-year-old son. After searching Greater London for his ideal home, the 39-year-old IT manager at BP has bought a five bedroom, four bathroom detached house at Kingswood Chase by award winning St James Homes.
Built around a 19th century Grade II listed Victorian manor house, Kingswood Chase is an exclusive collection of 39 new and refurbished luxury properties surrounded by three acres of secluded woodland in Chislehurst, Kent.
Kingswood Chase is approached via a discreet tree lined avenue, offering the utmost in privacy and seclusion. Set within a gated environment, Emil’s house benefits from a detached double garage plus additional parking for several cars. Emil and Elissandra enjoy entertaining at home, and their new home provides the perfect environment to do so. There are separate sitting and family rooms, a large kitchen with separate dining room and a home entertainment room. The house also has a garden ideal for summer barbeques with friends.
‘For Elissindra and I, this is the perfect environment for us to settle indefinitely and to grow our family. There are a number of good state and private schools in the area, and we are close to the village centre while being just 25 minutes away from Central London. Chislehurst is not transient by nature, which is very appealing to us. Residents in the area have lived there for many years and the sense of community and neighbourliness is evident.’
When Emil heard that St James was developing in the area, he made enquiries immediately: ‘St James has an unrivalled reputation for building quality homes, so buying off plan was not a problem. Having seen the marketing material for the development, and being allowed onsite before building commenced, I was confident to buy into Kingswood Chase. The sales process was straightforward and the staff were extremely friendly and responsive to my needs.’
Outside space is a central ethos at Kingswood Chase. Emil continues: ‘At Kingswood Chase you get the feeling of living in the countryside. The development is surrounded by woodland that provides rural seclusion and the picturesque green spaces of Marvels Wood and Scadbury Park are nearby. I am also impressed with the effort St James has made to conserve the environment by installing ground source heat pumps for five detached family homes.’
Emil and Elissindra are looking forward to enjoying the wide range of leisure facilities within close proximity of Kingswood Chase. Emil is a keen golfer and will have a choice between the prestigious Chislehurst and Sundridge Park Golf Clubs right on his doorstep. For Elissindra, the area is renowned for its designer boutiques, gastro pubs and restaurants, and the cosmopolitan villages of Bromley and Blackheath are nearby, whilst Bluewater
Shopping Centre is just a short drive away. Meanwhile, Emil’s nine-year-old son is a budding karter and will be spending time at the nearby famous Brands Hatch racing circuit.
Getting to work from Chislehurst is easy for Emil who works in Stockley Park, near to Heathrow. There are convenient road links with the A20, M20 and M25 providing access to Heathrow and Gatwick Airports. Elmstead Woods station is just a short walk away from Kingswood Chase with direct trains into London Bridge, Waterloo East and Charing Cross in 25 minutes.
The first showhouse at Kingswood Chase is open to be viewed by appointment only. Prices start from £560,000 for a two-bedroom apartment to £2.4 million for a six bedroom detached house.
For further information please visit kingswood-chase.co.uk or call 0870 850 1522.