Moving To Shropshire For First Step On Property Ladder
Moving to the Shropshire countryside was the ideal life change for a family who’d been unable to step on the property ladder in London – and had previously faced four hours commuting to and from work each day.
Londoners Tash Dutrieu and James Wentworth-Bowyer had already made the move out of their home city with their two-year-old son Theo to nearby Guildford, but were still stuck in the rental trap.
When they started looking for somewhere to buy their own place, Bellway’s The Spinney development in Shrewsbury ticked all the right boxes, with high-quality homes close to town and countryside – and good transport links to Telford for James’ work as an IT programme support manager and easy access to Shropshire’s road networks for Tash, who as director of a property inventory company is based from home.
They moved into their new four-bedroom home at The Spinney, off Oteley Road, in July 2020. James, 37, said: “We had been renting for a few years and had been gradually moving to the outskirts of London. We wanted to purchase our first property but London was just too expensive for what we wanted.
“We have family in Birmingham and when we started looking for properties, we found Shrewsbury and fell in love. We really liked the location of the development because it was close to both the town and the countryside.
Tash, 42, said: “We are only 10 minutes from the town centre and then have fields on the other side of us. We are members of the National Trust, so we love that places such as Attingham Park are only a short drive away and there are farms and zoos close by, which Theo loves.
“There are great road links, which is what really sold the location to us, as James’ commute is cut down to about half-an-hour, as opposed to the four-hour round trip he was doing from Guildford to London. As I am self-employed and based from home, I am well placed for travel as we are right next to the A5.”
As well as the picturesque and convenient location of Shrewsbury, the development and house type also really stood out to the couple.
Tash said: “We came to The Spinney for the first time in September 2019 and got a great vibe from Bellway straightaway. We loved the layout of the development – it didn’t feel enclosed, and we like how the houses were tucked away in their own little estates.
“We knew Bellway had a great reputation so once we found the development, it was just a case of choosing the house type and that’s what really sold it to us.”
The family chose the four-bedroom detached ‘Alder’ house type, with an open-plan kitchen/dining room, separate living room and utility room on the ground floor, while the master bedroom upstairs features an en suite shower room.
Tash said: “It was important for us to have a large area to entertain, and we loved the open-plan kitchen and dining aspect of the ‘Alder’. The bedrooms are all a great size – there isn’t one which is a box room which no one would want – and we thought there was brilliant use of the space in the property.”
The couple were also impressed with the customer service they received from the Bellway team at The Spinney. James said: “Our interactions with Susan and Rachel were great and you can understand why Bellway have the reputation they do. They were both really helpful and forthcoming and they took the time to help us when we needed.”
Tash said: “We were impressed with the customer service, without question. James and Andy, the two site managers were also great. No job was too small, and they came and sorted any snag we had straightaway. We don’t have a bad word to say about any of the team at The Spinney.”
The Spinney comprises a mix of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes, with prices currently starting from £245,500 for a three-bedroom semi-detached house. Find out more at bellway.co.uk.
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