LoginSubscribe to Alerts

Top schools on the doorstep of Martello Lakes

Posted 19 June 2017 by Helen Christie

Having an Ofsted rated “outstanding” or “good” primary school nearby can be a huge incentive to homebuyers...

Research from FindASchool shows that a quarter of parents have chosen a home specifically because of the quality of the local schools.

Kelly and Clynton Johnson have three young children, Autumn, 10, Jack, 5 and George, 2, and so were desperate to make sure that they stayed in the right catchment areas when they were looking to upsize their family home in the coastal market town of Hythe, Kent. Because of this, the family has recently moved into a four-bedroom detached house at Martello Lakes, a Barratt Homes development in Hythe, which is well positioned for several of the town’s primary schools, all of which are rated highly by Ofsted.

Kelly, 39, says: “We bought our first home, a small three-bedroom terraced house in Hythe, seven years ago, when Autumn was 3. We knew that it was in the catchment area for St Augustine’s, which has an “outstanding” Ofsted rating, so were confident that it was a good first buy, which would go up in value. However, after our two sons arrived, we quickly started to outgrow that property and knew that we needed to look for somewhere bigger.

Wanting to stay in the town, Clynton, 41, was born and bred in Hythe and runs a family business there with his dad. Clynton comments: “We found most large family houses in the town were priced around £600,000, which was well out of our reach. I had heard about the Martello Lakes development and had always fancied the idea of living in a new house. The only other new homes in the area are £1m apartments on the seafront, which are obviously not within reach of everyday families like us. We bought our house for £359,000, which is excellent value for money in comparison to what else is on the market in the town. We wouldn’t be able to buy back our old terrace for that now!”

Kelly continues: “The development is only half a mile from our previous home in Hythe, so it meant that Autumn and Jack didn’t have to change schools, which was important, particularly as Jack only started in September. When it comes to George starting school, we may well decide to send him to Palmarsh Primary, which is conveniently situated next to Martello Lakes. Most of the children who live in the new homes here go there, and it has a fantastic reputation amongst parents and a “good” rating from Ofsted.                                                 

Martello Lakes is a development of two- to five-bedroom family homes nestled between Kent’s ‘Garden Coast’ and the Kent Downs, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. When it is complete, the development is set to offer a thriving new community with public open spaces, play areas and a location for water sports activities with a pleasure lake already located at Martello Lakes and a biodiversity lake planned.

There is an excellent choice of schools close by to Martello Lakes, including Palmarsh Primary School, Lympne Church of England Primary School, Brockhill Park Performing Arts College and Foxwood School.

Kelly continues: “It is fantastic having so much extra space for our family now. Our house is the Thornbury design, which has beautiful white weatherboarding blending in perfectly with the local area. It is fantastic for the children to have such a huge garden and I love having a separate utility room and open plan kitchen dining area. Three of the bedrooms are good sized doubles and we are enjoying not having to share one toilet between us as we now have three! There is a real sense of community already starting to develop at Martello Lakes with lots of young families who have moved here for similar reasons to us. A few of our friends have now bought here, since they have been able to see what an incredible family home we have been able to get for our money.”

The historic town centre of Hythe is a five-minute drive or short bus ride away from Martello Lakes and is packed full of family-run stores, cafes, boutiques, antique shops and seafood restaurants. The beach is situated across the road from development and a Waitrose supermarket is also close by. Ashford International is just over 20 minutes away, connecting residents with Kings Cross St Pancras in 38 minutes and Paris in two hours. The Channel ferry ports of Folkestone and Dover are also both nearby, whilst Gatwick Airport is just over an hour away.

A new release of homes at Martello Lakes is expected in May with the last three-bedroom home selling at £289,995. Help to Buy will be available on all homes.

Read more about Martello Lakes from Barratt Homes

 

Malabar (Spitfire Homes)
29 February 2024
Spitfire Homes has announced the next stage of the major development in Daventry, now open for house-hunters to visit...Read more
The ‘Corndon’ house type from Cavanna Homes
29 February 2024
Friday 1 and Saturday 2 March are the dates of an Open House event for a decorated new view home at Bellevue...Read more
A Bromford show house
29 February 2024
Bromford has released the first of a brand new design of three-bedroom house for sale at its Park Lane site in in Cradley Heath...Read more
Sign up for email alertsGet the latest properties and updates sent directly to your inbox daily, weekly or immediately you are in control.
Subscribe to Alerts
Search news and advice

Click here to see your activities