Posted 8 December 2016 by
Keith OsborneThe Isle of Wight, one of Britain’s best-loved holiday destinations, has a great deal to appeal to homebuyers looking for a charming place to live, whether as a permanent residence or a holiday home.
As with many coastal locations, it also attracts many older buyers, looking for somewhere traditional and scenic to retire to, made even more appealing by a very pleasant climate. Its mix of sandy beaches, verdant countryside and many quaint villages are major factors in its popularity to a wide range of people. The appeal to people outside the island puts upward pressure on prices and leaves a high demand for more affordable homes for local buyers.
The current Core Strategy for the Isle of Wight aims to provide 8,320 homes over the period 2011 to 2027, an average of 520 per year, with Ryde (2,100 homes) and the Medina Valley (1,350) the most targeted areas for expansion.
Ryde is on the north-eastern coast and is one of the island’s largest towns and most-used ports, with services to and from Portsmouth on the mainland. The River Medina runs from the major harbour town of Cowes down to Newport, close to the centre of the island. Between them, these are already the island’s most populous places and primary centres of commerce.
According to the council plans, other areas of the island will be pepperpotted with the planned new dwellings.
New homes currently for sale on the Isle of Wight:
Priced from £132,500 are a collection of newly released one- and two-bedroom apartments at Barratt Homes’ Bluebell Meadows, in the central town of Newport. Located on the edge of Newport East, the development neighbours a country park yet is within easy reach of all the town’s shops and amenities, as well as its roads to the other major island towns. Help to Buy and Part Exchange are available.
Further down the River Medina, by the Solent, is Whippingham, south of East Cowes, where Barratt’s Hawthorn Meadows is taking shape. Currently available are two-bedroom apartments and three-bedroom houses, priced from £168,000 and £268,500 respectively. The development is open daily, from 10.00am to 5.30pm, with a range of assistance schemes for buyers.
Close by is Riverside, a sister scheme from David Wilson Homes offering a range of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes from £190,000. The development is in a lovely location with good connections to Cowes, Newport and Ryde close by.
Estate agent Wright is marketing an impressive one-off five-bedroom homes at Totland Bay, not far from The Needles at the western end of the island. The 2,722 sq ft home at the end of the private Fort Warden Road costs £599,950 and has some rooms with a sea view. It has five bedrooms (three of which are en suite), three reception rooms, an eco heating system and triple glazing.
The same agent is also offering properties at 15 Esplanade, an apartment block in Shanklin. The scheme comprises 10 two-bedroom apartments, with lift access to all floors and sea views from the front of each home. Right opposite the beach, these are superb seafront homes that might equally suit an owner-occupier, holiday home buyer or buy-to-let purchaser.
Mildren Homes has just three properties left for sale at Gatcombe Manor, with prices starting at £210,000. The development has a mix of renovations of Victorian buildings and some sympathetically designed brand new homes to complement their period neighbours. There’s a marketing suite open daily from 10.00am to 5.00pm.
Specialist developer McCarthy & Stone has a winter offer of a free fireplace and £5,000 towards furnishings at Silver Sands Court in Bembridge, the eastern tip of the island. One-bedroom apartments cost from £253,500, with two-bedroom units priced from £370,500. These retirement living properties are available to over-55s, with communal lounge and gardens for residents to share and a great specification especially for older buyers. The development is open from 10.30am to 5.00pm, Tuesday to Saturday, for prospective buyers to visit.
Assisted living apartments, where owners can get domestic and medical help to suit their needs, are available in Newport at Somers Brook Court, open to buyers over 70-years-old. The same winter offer is open to buyers here, and prices start at £175,000 for one-bedroom properties and £199,950 for two-bedroom options. The development has 58 properties in all, with a guest suite for visitors to use if they wish.