New homes snapshot – Much development in a little area in Rutland
Having been absorbed into Leicestershire in 1974, Rutland later retained its own county status and remains one of the UK’s smallest and least populous. However, there is a surprising amount of new build under way to meet demand in this sought-after 147 square miles of the East Midlands.
Despite its diminutive size (a population of around 38,000), Rutland competes well with the rest of the UK in terms of quality of life, named the UK’s happiest county by the Office for National Statistics in 2012, and also as one of the country’s most active a decade ago by Sport England.
The county is halfway through a 20-year development plan laid out in its core strategy in 2011, which set a target of 3,000 new homes between 2006 and 2026.
Oakham is the only place in the county offering a rail service, with a journey time of under two hours to London typically, via Leicester or Peterborough. The A1 passes through the east of county, while the A47 with those two cities. Other towns within convenient reach by road are Corby, Kettering, Grantham and Melton Mowbray.
Oakham and Uppingham are both home to renowned independent schools, while there is a collection of state schools for all ages.
New homes currently for sale in Rutland:
Larkfleet Homes has a great reputation in this area, and is coming back to the market soon at Greetham Square in Greetham, in the north of the county and close to Rutland Water. Details on the collection of homes and prices will come to those that sign up to show an interest on this well-connected development.
With Help to Buy available, Buttercross Park is an existing Larkfleet project in Oakham, where prices start at £181,995. Two- to five-bedroom homes are located at this site on the edge of the town, while there is a £500 offer on legal fees and flooring on Plot 35, the Property of the Week here, a four-bedroom ‘Brecon’ home due for completion next month.
In June, specialist developer McCarthy & Stone submitted plans for a retirement living village in Oakham (subject to planning permission) with 38 apartments for over-60s, an even mix of one- and two-bedroom properties. Intruder and fire alarms, along with video entry and a 24-hour emergency line, provide peace of mind, while communal facilities include a residents’ lounge, landscaped gardens and on-site parking.
There is one last property for sale at Greetham Mews, where Hereward Homes is offering ‘Holly Bank Cottage’ for £289,950. It’s a boutique development of just five homes in a cul-de-sac, just six miles from Oakham, with traditional stone elevations fit the new homes into the established surroundings.
The same housebuilder is catering to a much larger budget at Broadholme Farmyard, a development of just three impressive and unique homes in Essendine. Plot 2, ‘The Granary’, is priced £890,000 and like all these homes, has been renovated from former agricultural buildings to designs by Ross Thain Architects, with an exceptional specification.