New Homes - Great gardens

As spring draws us outdoors, we see what wonderful outdoor space can do for quality of life. Johnny Turner finds much to admire in the current crop of new homes with access to nature

Outside space can take many forms: private, lush greenery, communal grounds, a cosy patio ideal for dining a deux, local parkland – or any combination of the above. As spring continues its welcome progress, it’s a good time for prospective buyers to look at what’s on the market that offers gardens, nearby countryside or other types of ways of being ‘out there’.
Starting in much-loved Hindhead, Surrey, The Beacon is set within 6.4 acres of beautiful mature landscaped gardens with private parking and tennis courts, and also offers a golfing green. With the exclusivity and privacy of a country estate, this Crest Nicholson development is a new gated collection of stunning apartments set among Surrey’s famous areas of outstanding natural beauty.
The homes have been designed to enhance their beautiful setting. Beyond the development’s wide, sweeping lawns and verdant parkland lay the breathtaking views of the Surrey hills, one of England’s finest landscapes. The development itself is situated on top of Gibbet Hill, the second highest hill in Surrey, affording residents spectacular country views across the Weald and, on a clear day, as far as Canary Wharf.
Residents can also enjoy towering above the impressive Devil’s Punchbowl, a large hollow of dry sandy heath in which, legend has it; the devil spent his time tormenting the God Thor by pelting him with enormous handfuls of earth, leaving the great bowl that exists today.
The quaint village of Hindhead offers a range of local amenities and excellent road links, which will be improved further in 2011 with the construction of the new A3 Hindhead tunnel. The pretty town of Haslemere, with its cobbled streets and selection of eateries, is approximately five miles away. Guildford, 15 miles from the development, offers leisure facilities and an array of restaurants and bars.
Three bedroom apartments are priced from £374,950. For more information on The Beacon contact the sales and marketing suite on 0870 751 0496 or visit crestnicholson.com/thebeacon.
The first collection of apartments has been unveiled at the recent launch of Springhead Park – and with over 100 visitors 12 reservations during that event, it is clear that joint developers Countryside Properties and Land Securities are on to a winner.
Set in the wonderfully connected Ebbsfleet Valley, Springhead Park will provide a mixture of one- and two-bedroom apartments and two-, three- and four-bedroom houses – over 600 homes eventually. The homes will be centred around a large two-and-a-half-acre new formal park known as Penn Green and a new 15-acre park which will run along the edge of development. There will also be a community centre, a place of worship and a doctor’s surgery. A total of around 150 homes will be available through a housing association as affordable homes and will be ‘pepper-potted’ throughout the scheme.
The first 22 apartments were released for sale last month. In total, 179 units will be available in the first phase of development. Residents will benefit from the huge investment and infrastructure improvements that continue to elevate and transform the area. Beautiful Kent countryside is on the doorstep, yet London and beyond are within easy reach via Ebbsfleet International station: indeed, Ebbsfleet will offer a 17-minute connection to St Pancras International station from 2009.
At more than 1,000 acres Ebbsfleet Valley will provide up to 10,000 new homes over the next twenty years, together with employment, retail, leisure and other facilities and will create in the region of 20,000 new jobs and around 400 acres of new parks, lakes, woodland and open space.
Springhead Park will have a clean, modern, yet classic feel to it. A tree-lined boulevard will run through the heart, branching into more intimate residential streets and spaces. At the centre of Springboard Park, the formal Penn Green will be beautifully landscaped focusing on a central plaza with play area. Further recreational space will be provided in a new park running the length of the development; this will include playing fields as well as informal parkland.
Prices at Springhead Park start at £165,000 for a one-bedroom apartment and £195,000 for a two-bedroom apartment; houses will be released in late spring. For further information contact the sales and marketing suite on 01474 335195 or visit springheadpark.co.uk.
At The Heathers in Priory Vale, buyers are able to reserve a home for just £99. Bellway Homes is offering this incentive with first-time buyers in mind. The developer is also offering to pay the 5 per cent deposit and legal fees up to £500.
Bellway Wessex sales director Sandra Barton says, ‘The offer is perfect for first-time buyers who, though in full time employment, find it impossible to save for a deposit and have to live in rented accommodation or at home with their parents. Money that would otherwise be lost in rent can be invested in a home of their own.’
The modern, vibrant site is within easy reach of Swindon town centre, while the new village of Priory Vale has a primary school and the Orbital Shopping Park boasts the largest Asda/Walmart in Europe. There is also a health centre, plus cafés and restaurants and other well-known retailers such as Next. There’s also a nature reserve and a country park and the site is close to the North Swindon Learning Centre.
Swindon town centre is approximately 15 minutes away by road. The area is also well placed for commuters to Reading, London and Bristol, as train journeys to Reading are within half an hour. London Paddington is within an hour and Bristol Temple Meads between 30 and 45 minutes.
There are currently one- and two-bedroom apartments, priced from £109,000. The marketing suite is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Call 01793 729283 or visit bellway.co.uk.
The Thatchams occupies a prominent position within the village of Priors Green, located on the outskirts of the popular village of Little Canfield. Two village ponds front the development and the two, three and four bedroom houses flank tree-lined boulevards. There are also two landscaped children’s play areas at the heart of the development.
Bishop’s Stortford is just over six miles away, with its wide range of high street and boutique shops, cafes, bars and restaurants, as well as excellent local schools. Priors Green is conveniently located just four miles from junction 8 of the M11, which offers access to London in the South and North to Cambridge and beyond. There are regular trains to London Liverpool Street from Bishop’s Stortford train station, taking approximately 43 minutes. London Stansted Airport is just under three miles away.
There are 11 different house types which combine red brickwork, buttermilk rendering, white weather boarding and red clay and grey slate roof tiles – all influenced by the local architectural vernacular. Varied rooflines, bay windows, dormer windows and porches give the development a strong character.
Internally each property has been designed with the buyer in mind. Great emphasis has been placed on creating well proportioned, light and airy living spaces. Houses feature open plan kitchen/breakfast or kitchen/living areas, with doors leading onto a garden. Master bedrooms have either fitted wardrobes or dressing rooms and an en-suite shower or bathroom fitted with sleek white sanitary ware and chrome fixtures and fittings.
Every property at The Thatchams has an EcoHomes rating of Good and incorporates eco-friendly features, including dual flush toilets and water butts in the garden, designed to help residents play their part in preserving the environment without impacting on their daily lives.
Prices at The Thatchams start from £200,000 for a two bedroom house, from £236,000 for a three bedroom house and from £350,000 for a four bedroom house. Contact the marketing suite on 0845 071 2072 or visit thatchams.net.
Bryant Homes’ Childsbridge Farm development in Seal, near Sevenoaks offers the best of both worlds: wonderful village life as well as great commutability.
The development is very convenient for the M25, meaning families and young professionals for whom time is of the essence will benefit greatly. The setting is also calm and picturesque. The development has just 17 three-bedroom homes, all with a distinct barn conversion feel which makes them stand out from similar properties in the area. The development has already seen floods of potential buyers register their interest.
Childsbridge Farm is about a ten-minute drive from Sevenoaks station, which provides services to London Charing Cross in about 35 minutes. Kemsing station is also a short walk away, offering routes to London Victoria. Both the M25 and M20 are about 10 minutes away, whilst for travel further afield, Gatwick airport is just over 30 minutes by car.
Families will find Seal C of E primary school and Wildernesse secondary and sixth form school within easy reach and at the weekend, Sevenoaks Leisure Centre is fully equipped with a 25 metre pool, gym, health suite, creche and catering facilities. Alternatively, there are plenty of parks and heritage sites in the area to enjoy including the National Trust's Knole Park.
For further information about Childsbridge Farm, visit the marketing suite, open daily, or call 0845 026 5710. See bryant.co.uk/southeast.
Explore Living has just announced the launch of New Meridian Village, an exclusive new family-friendly development located in the coastal town of Ramsgate, Kent.
Here a disused 6.9-acre site on Manston Road will become a vibrant residential destination, sure to be popular with a range of buyer types, from families to first-timers. When complete, the development will comprise 207 homes ranging from studios to four-bedroom town houses.
The homes have high-specification fixtures and fittings, while solid concrete floors and staircases plus double glazed UPVC windows minimise maintenance. Kitchens have high-performance integrated appliances and concealed pull-up power outlets to maximise usable work surface space. En suite bathrooms feature digital showers and apartments have an audio/visual entry system linked to the TV for that extra peace of mind.
There is underfloor heating, plus abundant telephone points, pre-wiring for satellite TV and provision for a wall-mounted flat screen TVs.
The development offers large amount of landscaped green spaces rich with trees, and has been designed to provide a safer, greener and altogether better environment for children and adults alike, as well as to foster a strong sense of community. Cleverly designed ‘home zones’ include roads laid out to discourage speeding and excessive traffic.
John Inglis, sales and marketing director of Explore Living, says, ‘New Meridian Village is one of the most exciting projects in the South East at the moment because of its location within a prime regeneration area and the wide variety of homes available. The development offers purchasers affordable homes with good potential for capital growth in years to come thanks to the new high speed rail link expected to open in 2009.’
The development is well situated minutes from Ramsgate’s town centre and high street and just a short distance from the seafront, a sport centre, a leisure park and the town’s centrepiece, Ramsgate Marina. Ramsgate itself is also set to benefit from new commercial, residential and leisure developments and, from 2009, will enjoy a new high-speed rail link between Ebbsfleet and Stratford, allowing commuters to get into London in just 63 minutes.
The 22 homes in the first phase include one studio apartment, 13 one- and two-bedroom apartments, four three-bedroom houses and four four-bedroom houses. Prices for a studio apartment at New Meridian Village start at just £99,995; houses are priced from £249,995. For more information call Explore Living on 0845 872 1004 or visit exploreliving.co.uk
The first few exclusive homes from Stamford Homes are now available in the desirable village of Nassington, in the Nene Valley. Whittington’s Meadow is a development that offers a wonderful village lifestyle as well as five noteworthy public schools on the doorstep, plus a choice of independent schools within easy driving distance.
The attractive stone village has shops, pubs and a thriving rural community. The first few exclusive homes are due for completion in June. Prices for these high-specification five-bedroom homes start at £670,000.
Plans are available to view at Savills estate agents offices in Stamford, Oundle and Peterborough. Also contact Stamford Homes connections manager Juliana Russell on 07970 000224.
Oakdene Homes has just launched its luxury new show apartment at Swaylands, the fabulous conversion of one of Kent’s best-known country houses on the outskirts of Penshurst, Kent. The homes are set in a lush, beautifully designed 50-acre estate and offer a breathtaking specification as well as access to the type of scenery that reminds you why Kent is called the Garden of England.
Oakdene Homes has restored and converted the beautiful structure into 28 luxurious two- and three-bedroom apartments, two new blocks and the conversion of outbuildings into six mews houses.
The new two-bedroom show apartment is set within the main house at Swaylands. More like a house than an apartment, the 3,000 sq ft apartment is set over three floors and boasts two private patio areas and a roof terrace offering stunning views over the estate and surrounding countryside.
The basement has been renovated to provide further living space and provides a spacious flow of open-plan rooms including a steam room shower area. With the downstairs space separate from the other rooms, this will appeal to many homebuyers who are looking for flexible living, enabling teenagers and older children to take advantage of their own space and independence – and this layout is available at a range of units.
The 50-acre mid-Victorian estate offers an opulent lifestyle indoors and out, with plenty of wandering space outside: there is a listed rockery, a lake, sumptuous landscaped gardens and the sheer beauty and luxury of the original brickwork and architecture. Other facilities include a tennis court and gymnasium.
Penshurst village, situated within the view of Swaylands, is the quintessential English village combining a cricket ground with traditional village pubs, olde-worlde tearooms and the River Medway. It’s near Tunbridge Wells, for great shopping and transport connections.
Prices at Swaylands start at £499,950 for a two-bedroom apartment. For further information contact Oakdene Homes on 01737 249393 or visit swaylands.co.uk.
Great Homes offers Highlands, a brand new development of retirement apartments in Main Road, Gidea Park. A show apartment and sales suite have recently opened and the development is due for completion this summer.
Located in the heart of the Gidea Park Conservation Area, Highlands stands on what was once part of an estate belonging to local dignitary and MP Sir Herbert Raphael. In 1909 he had the idea of creating an ‘exhibition of houses and cottages’ reminiscent of a garden suburb – and many of those fine buildings, which echo the Arts and Crafts period, remain today.
Highlands will provide 23 one- and two-bedroom apartments plus communal lounge and dining areas, a library, high specification kitchens and state-of-the-art safety and security features. It has been designed exclusively for buyers of 60 years and over, and will stand in landscaped gardens that feature a number of the original mature trees that the developer has carefully preserved.
Highlands emphasises an independent lifestyle, with each apartment designed given a thoughtful layout for ease of living. There’s an open-plan arrangement for the main rooms, sizable bathrooms with elegant sanitaryware, vanity units, baths and showers, lots of storage space, a private hallway and an impressive kitchen. Affording a wood finish and quartz worktops, the kitchens have a range of integrated Bosch appliances, including a washer/dryer, fridge and freezer, oven, combination microwave and a hob with an extractor above. Spot and pelmet lighting give it a stylish feel.
There will be high-quality communal facilities and a number of safety and security features. There will be a residents’ lounge, conservatory and library, along with a guest suite and buggy store. A duty manager will ensure the smooth running of the complex, while the building itself will have CCTV entryphone, a 24-hour emergency support team at the press of a button, and a gated driveway to the entrance.
Highlands is ideally located for local amenities. Its eventual residents will be able to shop at the nearby newsagent, supermarket and pharmacy, enjoy public open spaces such as at Raphael Park, or use the excellent road and rail infrastructure for travelling to nearby Romford town centre, Upminster, Brentwood or further afield. A trip into London to see a show is a distinct possibility too.
The Highlands sales suite is open 10am through to 5pm every Saturday and Sunday or for further information contact the selling agent Porter Glenny on 01708 725000. Visit greathomesltd.co.uk.
At The Manor, City & Country Group’s award-winning development at Herringswell, near Newmarket, Suffolk, The Archery Court is a visually striking house with an unusual previous incarnation. Originally built in the early 1980s as part of the Japanese boarding school that occupied The Manor from 1985 to 2001, The Archery Court was, as the name suggests, where students honed their skills with a bow and arrow, shooting arrows from what is now the ground floor living area to hit targets at the far end of the property’s garden.
The building has now been converted into a highly contemporary three-bedroom house that has an interesting touch of the Orient about it. Externally, the two-storey geometric property features crisp soft greenish grey render and grey slate roof tiles and has a series of full-height sliding-glass screens that run almost the full width of the house, inspired by traditional Japanese houses. The glass doors lead onto a timber-decked terrace and, beyond, a partly walled private garden, perfect for entertaining in the summer months.
The ground floor includes a large, light-filled open plan living/dining room looking on to the lovely garden, as well as a luxurious bespoke eat-in kitchen, with unusual solid bamboo work surfaces and stainless steel appliances. Upstairs, there are three double bedrooms, two with en suite bathrooms, and a family shower room.
The Manor is set in over eight acres of stunning grounds in the beautiful Suffolk countryside. City & Country Group has created a woodland walk, which meanders through the mature trees that surround the development. The Manor is less than seven miles from Newmarket, less than 22 miles from Cambridge and just over 40 miles from Stansted Airport.
The home is priced at £535,000. Viewing is by appointment only. Call City & Country Group on 01279 818 900, Bidwells on 01223 841842 or Savills on 01223 347000. Visit herringswellmanor.co.uk.

Grow your own
Growing your own vegetables has never been more popular, as produce prices rise and food role models such as Jamie Oliver urge more healthy eating.
Those who live in cities may think they don’t have the space to grown their own veg – however, an ingenious invention makes it possible for the most urban of us to be healthier and more self-succifient, even in a small space.
Patio-Gro, a new three-tiered growing frame from Gro Garden Products, offers a staggering 18 square feet of growing space yet takes up an area of just 22’ x 70’. Specially designed for those with limited outdoor space, Patio-Gro can be placed on a patio, terrace, courtyard, balcony or any open space, enabling you to grow organic, chemical-free and environmentally friendly home-grown produce.
Patio-Gro includes ‘deep’ trays, allowing the direct sowing of seeds and plants. The three-tier system offers maximum light and ventilation for the plants. Patio-Gro will grow vegetables, herbs, salads, fruits and even alpines and bulbs, and all without the need of a garden. Growing your own vegetables for the first time can be great fun too and since its launch this year Patio-Gro has been proved a big hit with children and schools.
Patio-Gro, priced at £69.95 plus postage, is available online at grogardenproducts.co.uk.

Gardeners go green
Charlie Dimmock is urging gardeners to tackle climate change in our back gardens as we observe Compost Awareness Week. The TV gardener warns that our impact on the environment is already showing. And gardeners are in the perfect position to respond to the challenge in our own back gardens, says the green-fingered goddess.
Gardeners report already seeing signs of environmental change in their garden. Seven out of ten gardeners polled say plants are blooming much earlier than expected this year, over half have had to cut their grass sooner or later than previous years and 43 per cent claim they are now having to mow their lawns more frequently.
These figures, from Waste & Resources Action Programme to mark Compost Awareness Week (Sunday 4 May to Saturday 10 May), are up on previous years, which suggests that current environmental damage will actually affect our generation rather than the next. But what can you do to “green up” your act?
Recycle as much garden waste as possible, as 76 per cent currently do. Composting is an ideal way to go green, as more and more of us are discovering: the percentage of gardeners choosing to home compost has increased from 34 per cent to 53 per cent this year, and 41 per cent of gardeners now buy peat-free composts containing recycled materials.
There are also many things non-gardeners can do to slow the damage we are doing to the environment. For more information visit compostawarenessweek.org.uk.

Gardens are ‘little goldmines’
The UK’s gardens are turning into goldmines crammed with exotic plants, hi-tech tools and luxury furniture worth a whopping £18.6 billion, according to new research by Lloyds TSB Insurance.
The survey found that the contents of the average garden are worth £1,237, while one in ten gardens contains goods worth over an incredible £3,000. In a typical garden, the most expensive single item is on average £426 but five per cent have a single item over £1,000.
As for gardening itself, a quarter of Brits (26 per cent) enjoy more than six hours a week in their garden during the spring and summer months. One-third of gardens have ornamental plants, a quarter have statues and ornaments and 22 per cent have a water feature. Seven in ten have a patio heater while six per cent have a sun house.
Half of Brits spend £200 on their garden every year, while three per cent spend over £750. Top of the gardener’s “wish list” for 2008 is a wallet-busting hot tub, followed by decking and water features.
But despite spending so much on their gardens, most Brits don’t know whether they are insured properly. Over half (55 per cent) have never checked whether their garden contents are included on their home insurance policy, while 87 per cent don’t review the value of their gardens each year to make sure they are covered. But Lloyds TSB Insurance warns that accidents do happen. Last year, the insurer processed 5,244 garden claims with an average value of £726.