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New homes snapshot – Idyllic Dorset offers plenty of choice of new build property 

Posted 27 April 2017 by Keith Osborne

Beautiful towns and villages and an array of stunning landscapes are just two of the reasons there is a great deal of demand for new homes in Dorset...

The county of Dorset has many great qualities and it is therefore no surprise that it should be of great interest to buyers of new homes – and that many housebuilders are working on a vast array of new build properties to try to meet demand.

Dorset has a delightful mix of lively, modern towns, such as Bournemouth and Poole, historic market towns like Dorchester and Wareham and dozens of delightful villages set within verdant countryside. The Jurassic Coast gives visitors some of the best sea views in the UK (and is home to this writer’s favourite pub, the quirky Square and Compass in Worth Matravers, notable, among many things, for its fossil museum).

Milne RoadThe variety of lifestyle will appeal to many types of homebuyer, from first-timers to families and downsizers/retirees. Purbeck was recently placed at number five in the Halifax Rural Areas Quality of Life Survey 2017, based not just on the quality of housing in the area but also schools, health levels, employment, leisure and the environment. The data comes from a variety of respected resources, including the Office for National Statistics, the government, the Met Office, Ofcom and Halifax itself.

Affordable housing is as big an issue in Dorset as it is in other parts of the country. A petition was recently presented by residents to West Dorset District Council calling for the £9.7m sum recently spent on new council premises to be matched in terms of low-cost homes in the district. Barry Thompson from the Dorchester and District Labour Party says: “West Dorset has lower-than-national-average pay and higher-than-national-average prices – house prices outstrip wages by 12 to one. The council should be enforcing its own policy that new housing developments must include 35% affordable homes. This petition shows that local people expect the council to do better and calls on the council to invest in decent, genuinely affordable homes for its residents.”

Poundbury, the development initiated by Prince Charles 30 years ago, is now due for completion in 2022. It is already home to 3,000 people, many of whom work in local businesses, and while prices there are considerably higher than the Dorset average, is has maintained a 35% proportion of affordable homes. The Duchy of Cornwall estate is expected to apply to build another 100 new homes in Fordington, in the north-east of Dorchester, later this year.

Among the new homes for sale in Dorset now are: 

Boutique developer Shape is building 36 apartments in four blocks at Crosstrees using a mix of traditional design and materials in two blocks and a complementary modern approach in the others. Each open-plan apartment in this desirable Canford Cliffs location over Poole has its own private outdoor space, with expansive views from the nautically-inspired penthouses. Parkstone Golf Club is next door. Prices start at £595,000. 

Inland Homes is providing a range of one- and two-bedroom apartments at Carter’s Quay in Poole, with prices starting at £199,950 but also with the advantage of Help to Buy to reduce the up-front cost for owner-occupiers. These homes in the Lower Hamsworthy district are aimed at first-time buyers and buy-to-let investors alike. 

Also in Poole, Holton Homes is building a range of three-bedroom homes in Milne Road, with buyers once again able to use Help to Buy. All ten houses are set over three floors with a good specification, separate kitchen, en suite master bedroom and family bathroom.

EastgateEastgate is in the historic town of Dorchester, with a range of three- and four-bedroom townhouses starting at £325,000. Set on the High Street, these three-storey homes from Metis Homes are built from local materials to fit in perfectly with the established buildings of the county town. The Help to Buy scheme is available here to assist purchasers with a 20% equity loan, and these homes are ready for occupation in this well connected area.

To the northwest of Poole is Wyatt Homes’ Frenches Green, where the first phase of homes have now been released for sale. In all, this development will be providing the district of Upton with 70 new homes, with two- to five-bedroom homes and one- to three-bedroom apartments to suit a spectrum of buyers’ needs and budgets. This development has convenient links to many major towns as well as Dorset’s superb natural landscapes and sites of interest, including Upton Country Park which has over 130 acres of parkland, shoreline and formal estate gardens. Prices start at £140,000.

Prices have yet to be announced at Oakborne, from the same WhatHouse? Award-winning small housebuilder, located in Winterborne Kingston, around seven miles south of Blandford Forum. Work has just started on four apartments and 14 detached and semi-detached houses. The village offers splendid rural life but within easy reach of several major roads to the counties larger towns.

In Bridport, retirees can choose from a collection of 26 one- and two-bedroom apartments at Alfred Lodge, courtesy of the current WhatHouse? Housebuilder of the Year, Churchill Retirement Living. The town created by Alfred the Great is home to an excellent High Street of brand and independent stores and has two street markets every week. It is known for its exceptional food outlets and is within easy reach of many of the county’s historic and scenic destinations. These homes start at £231,950.

Dorset is such a popular choice for people of retirement age that the UK’s leading specialist development for this sector has a number of current developments around the county. Leading with its flagship Bowes Lyon Court development in the Prince Charles-supported Poundbury, McCarthy & Stone also has two sites in Poole, Azaleas and Horizons and another in Weymouth at Harbour Lights Court.

Very new to market is another retirement development in Christchurch. This one, from developer Platinum Skies, is based on concept of Shared Ownership for older buyers, opening up the possibility to buyers on a limited budget. Monterey offers 34 one- and two-bedroom apartments and one duplex property, set within the grounds of Christchurch hospital, prviding a leafy backfrop for these brand new homes designed to complement the Victorian architecture of the main building. Starting at £140,000 for a 50% share, these homes are close to the centre of Christchurch with healthcare particularly well catered for, a GP surgery and pharmacy being on site.

 

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