Leaving London For Forever Home In Berkshire

When Eda Bilgen, 39, and her husband Yilmaz Bilgen, 43, decided to buy their first home, swapping their hectic London lifestyle for a slower pace, and plenty of green space was their top priority.

They had been renting a two-bedroom apartment in Richmond with their son Baris, however they felt that something was missing. Eda explained: “It was a very nice property in a lovely area, but it didn’t feel like a real home. We wanted a family house with a garden, with neighbours to get to know, to really feel part of a community.”

They struck lucky when, searching online, they found Green Park Village, St Edward’s development just three miles from Reading town centre in Berkshire.

Eda commented: “We didn’t know much about Reading or the area at the time, but when we visited, we instantly fell in love with Green Park Village and its beautiful green setting. It’s very family oriented and has a relaxed community feel – we knew we could be very happy here.”

The family’s new three-bedroom townhouse with a garden was priced at £448,000, and they used Help to Buy to make the purchase before moving in during December 2020.

Eda said: “Help to Buy made a big difference. We put down a 5% deposit and had a Help to Buy equity loan of 20%; we’ve taken out a mortgage for the balance. Our monthly mortgage payment is £1,450, which is less than our monthly payments when we were living in Richmond.”

Proximity to excellent schools for their son had been an important factor in choosing where to live. There is a great choice of state and private schools around Green Park Village, including some of the UK’s top performing independent secondary schools. Eda commented: “Finding a very good school for our son was easy. We particularly liked Crosfields School, a co-educational independent day preparatory school which is rated excellent by ISI, and it’s less than three miles from our home – our son is now enrolled there which is brilliant.” Looking to the future, the top-ranking University of Reading is also within three miles.

The family’s three-storey house provides plenty of flexible space. It has a ground-floor family/dining room, separate living room, and the third bedroom is being put to good use, as Eda explained: “I work from home as a private French tutor, and Yilmaz has also been home-based during the pandemic, so we take it in turns to use it as an office, when our son isn’t there doing his homework or playing his guitar!”

When Yilmaz, an IT network engineer, returns to his office in London Waterloo, he will have an easy journey to work. Trains from Reading take as little as 23 minutes to reach London Paddington. When Crossrail opens, linking Reading with the London underground, it will take 53 minutes to Bond Street. The new railway station planned for Green Park Village will provide direct rail access to Reading in just six minutes.

Since moving in, the family has been making the most of Green Park Village’s wonderful green spaces. Eda said: “We enjoy walking and cycling together as a family, and there is plenty to explore with so many woodland walks, trails and cycle paths. It’s so easy to lead a healthy lifestyle here.

“We’ve found exactly what we were looking for at Green Park Village. We love the close-knit friendly community and having so much peaceful outdoor space, but being close to fantastic amenities in the town centre too. It’s changed our life and I think we will live in Green Park Village forever.”

Green Park Village is a collection of new homes set in 60 acres of parkland and around a large natural lake. It has a host of family-friendly facilities; a primary school has recently opened, and will be followed by a children’s play area, community hall, market square and new train station. These are enhanced by the nearby Green Park Business Park, which offers restaurants, shops, cafés, a gym and nursery.

Prices start from £293,000 for a one-bedroom apartment at Eastport Apartments and from £520,000 for a three-bedroom house at Woodland Gardens. Select homes will be ready to move into by Q1/Q2 of 2022. Find out more about Green Park Village from St Edward.

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