Amanda Shiel looks at some of the finest new homes available in this popular county
LoughtonThe Rodings currently features a selection of two-bedroom apartments with prices from £245,000. Although designs differ, the apartments typically offer an open-plan living/dining/ kitchen area, along with two bedrooms and a main bathroom. Selected properties also feature an en suite to master bedroom.
As well as being in an ideal position for commuters to London, The Rodings also benefits from its close proximity to Loughton which offers a range of amenities including bars and restaurants, as well as excellent shopping on Loughton High Street and sports facilities at Loughton Leisure Centre.
The development is adjacent to Epping Forest F.E. College, from whom Redrow purchased the land, and proceeds from the land sale are contributing to the college’s redevelopment, which will see outdated accommodation replaced by a new state-of-the-art building.
Properties are due to be ready to move into this June. To find out more visit the on-site marketing suite on Borders Lane, Loughton, now open daily from 10am - 5.30pm or call 0845 676 0335. Alternatively visit redrow.co.uk/developments/view/196.
Woodford GreenThe Roof Terrace comprises 23 contemporary one- and two-bedroom apartments and two- bedroom penthouses situated above retail premises and incorporating office space.
Each apartment comes with a stylish Urban Myth kitchen fitted with Smeg appliances, which including a stainless steel electric oven, a stainless steel gas hob, an integrated fridge/freezer, a washer/dryer and a dishwasher. Most apartments benefit from a private balcony or terrace and all have access to a communal roof terrace. The development also has an underground car park with one parking space allocated for each apartment and the rare possibility of purchasing a second space.
Woodford Green and South Woodford have an excellent range of luxury shops and restaurants. South Woodford underground station has direct Central line trains to Liverpool Street Station which take approximately 20 minutes.
Prices start at £279,950 for a two-bedroom apartment. For further information and brochure requests contact Higgins Homes on 020 8505 0614 or visit higginshomes.co.uk.
Gidea ParkHighlands is a prestigious new development of 23 high specification retirement apartments in Main Road.
Features include luxurious one- and two-bedroomed apartments, a state-of-the-art safety and security specification, a residents’ lounge, library, guest suite and landscaped gardens – all standing in a convenient location close to local amenities and within easy reach of nearby major towns.
All the apartments will be ready to move straight into when complete, with carpeting to the main living areas and cushion flooring to the kitchen. There’ll be telephone points, terrestrial and satellite television points and gas central heating.
The roadside entrance to the development will feature an electric gated drive, while ground floor apartments will be alarmed and afford high quality windows and doors that meet the strict criteria of the Secured By Design standard. A CCTV entryphone system installed at the main entrance door will allow only welcome visitors to enter the building itself.
For residents’ further peace of mind there will be a duty manager on call for day-to-day support, a 24-hour emergency support team available at the press of a button and free internal telephone calls between apartments, and to the duty manager’s office.
For further information contact sales agent Porter Glenny on 01708 725000 or visit Great Homes Limited’s website at greathomesltd.co.uk.
ColchesterFortuna Park comprises of two-, three- and four-bedroom houses and one- and two- bedroom apartments. The properties are generously proportioned, built to high standards and all have a garage, carport or an allocated parking space. Set in quiet cul-de-sacs, exteriors are a visually appealing combination of red and yellow brick, oatmeal render, varying rooflines and weatherboarding.
The interiors at Fortuna Park have been designed to a high, contemporary specification, with stylish features such as stainless steel kitchen appliances and sleek contemporary bathrooms. The properties offer a comfortable living space with modern amenities and have been designed to enhance the surrounding natural and built environment.
Countryside Annington (Colchester) Ltd is offering a ‘move in for free’ scheme on selected houses currently available, and will pay the five per cent deposit, stamp duty and a legal cost contribution. A part exchange scheme is also available as an alternative on selected houses.
Prices start from £199,950 for a three-bedroom house.
For further information contact the marketing suite on telephone 01206 549 760 or visit fortunapark.net.
Chelmsford The 26 one- and two-bedroom apartments apartments at Aurora are arranged on three storeys and set around a central courtyard. The development includes four retail spaces, one of which will be a restaurant, together with a communal garden.
Interiors are very well designed with an open-plan layout that combines the living/dining and kitchen area to maximise the use of space. Kitchens are well equipped with a brushed steel gas hob, electric oven and free-standing washer/drier. There are many different layouts available, providing buyers with an individual home.
These smart contemporary apartments are located on Broomfield Road, just a few minutes from the town centre and railway station.
Prices at Aurora start at £179,995 for a one-bedroom apartment and £224,995 for a two-bedroom apartment. The first homes are expected to be ready for occupation by June 2008. For more information contact the Barratt marketing suite on 01245 353080, open daily from 10am - 6pm. Alternatively visit barratthomes.co.uk.
Bocking Village, nr BraintreeBarratt is building 108 homes at Bocking Mill, ranging from two- and three-bedroom apartments to two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom houses.
The architecture of the homes reflects the traditional Essex style, while interiors are sharply modern. Each apartment has a large open-plan sitting/dining/kitchen area that maximises the light and space. Kitchens are very well equipped with the latest appliances, including an oven, hob, fridge/freezer and washing machine. Bedrooms are generously sized and most of the apartments have two bathrooms, including one en suite to the master bedroom. Each home comes with an allocated parking space.
The market town of Braintree is a short drive from the development offering a good range of high street and independent shops, and plenty of coffee shops, bars and restaurants. Nearby is Freeport Designer Village, one of the UK’s largest outlet shopping centres, which has over 85 stores, a 12-screen cinema, bowling, go-karting, nightclubs and restaurants.
Braintree is only ten miles from Chelmsford and 15 miles from Colchester. Nearby Braintree station has a regular service to London’s Liverpool Street taking around one hour. Stansted airport is 13 miles away.
Prices start from £164,995 for a two-bedroom apartment.
For more details call the marketing suite on 01376 529539, open daily from 10am - 6pm or visit barratthomes.co.uk.
Colchester Xplore by North Green Homes is a unique development of 11 two-bedroom and one three-bedroom houses situated to the east of the town centre.
Each house will have a fitted kitchen with integrated appliances, a fitted white suite bathroom with en-suite to the master bedroom and a car port or allocated parking.
There is a regular train service from Colchester to London Liverpool Street with a journey taking 50 minutes. Road links with the A12, A14 and M25 are good for commuters travelling north or south of the town. For those wanting to travel further a field Harwich International Port is 30 minutes away and Stansted Airport 30 miles away.
For further information on Xplore contact the Connells Colchester office on 01206 547431.
EppingSituated in private grounds on the edge of the Epping Forest, Theydon Towers is prestigious
development of four exclusive self-contained apartments from Hertfordshire-based developer,
Time & Tide Homes.
Theydon Towers is located just 2 miles south of Epping and 15 miles north-east of London. The
apartments are ideally located for Central line transport links to the City and West End and are
well served by Stanstead and City airports, the M25 and the M11, making Theydon Towers a
hot ticket for the emerging super-suburb market working in the city.
The units are set to hit the market at between £950,000 and £1.5million each.
Complementing the main building, the stable and office block situated in the property’s grounds
will be converted into a 2000sq ft, £1.3million three-bedroom house and a four-
bedroom eco-home is also planned for the site.
For more information contact James Lawlor at Lawlors Estate Agents on 0208 502 5588.
Case study
NewhallSince their move to Newhall, Marsha Manning can hardly believe that they once lived ‘in an ordinary house, in an ordinary road.’
Newhall has been carefully planned as a series of neighbourhoods with architecturally diverse and beautifully crafted, sustainable homes. Marsha is entranced by it all. ‘I love the architecture, they’re all different. In fact, I feel like I’m on holiday all the time,’ she says, adding that the colourful, modern homes give the look of a sunny European resort rather than the Essex countryside.
Master planners Roger Evans Associates have integrated nature, homes and landscape into the development, with ample ‘green wedges’. For the Mannings, it has led to a change of lifestyle. ‘We walk all the time, it’s all so beautiful and quiet and the views are fantastic.’
The family has a three-bedroom townhouse in Simplicity Lane, one that meets their needs to be compact and easy to run. And although they are still unpacking boxes, they feel completely settled.
Despite its rural Essex location, Newhall enjoys good connections to Harlow and is an excellent location for commuting to London and surrounding regions. The Mannings all work in different places and find that getting to their places of work is easy. Elliott commutes by tube into London from Epping, the girls travel from Harlow Town station, and Marsha and her husband drive to their company’s office in Buckhurst Hill, which takes about 25 minutes.
Clearly, the move to Newhall has been an enormous success for the Mannings. ‘I wouldn’t move for a million pounds!’ says Marsha.
The latest phase currently under construction, North Chase, will eventually comprise 127 homes in a mix of apartments, townhouses, detached houses and flexible live-work units, and will include the development’s first commercial units. Prices will range from £225,000 to £450,000 and further information can be obtained by calling the Sales Centre on 01279 416660 or by visiting the website at newhallproject.co.uk.