Pastures New Near Chester For Family

After living at The Pastures, in Backford Cross, near Chester, for just a short while, Shelley O’Connor says it already feels like her forever home.

“Our old home was special,” says Shelley, “but our Redrow home is far more so. I love it here and I wouldn’t want to change a thing. Life is just as I want it; in fact, it couldn’t be better.”

Shelley, 43, moved to the Redrow development in Backford Cross with her partner Michael, 47, and their seven-year-old son Kai.

They’d upsized from their two-bedroom semi in Speke in search of a bigger home and an escape from city life, and, not least, a school in the Chester area for Kai. The couple – Shelley, a lab assistant, and Michael, a manager for a glass manufacturer – fell in love with The Pastures and, in particular, the four-bed detached Cambridge. But it was only after a patient wait that their dream home became a reality.

Shelley explains: “We’d actually moved over to the Wirral three years before because we wanted Kai to start school here. We were living with my mum in Upton while we saved for a bigger house, and we rented out our old one until we got it.

“We looked at The Pastures two years ago but were waiting for the perfect plot to be available. When we came to look again, all the homes we were interested in were sold, and I thought we’d never get a house here.”

It was a chance visit by her dad, who lives in nearby Great Sutton, that finally gave Shelley her wish: “He called in and a Cambridge had just come back on the market, and the day it was re-released for sale we put a deposit down to secure it.”

Shelley and Michael love the traditional look of Redrow’s Heritage Collection homes as well as their modern interiors. The spacious kitchen, dining and family area at the rear of the Cambridge has quickly become the heart of their home – and they have the option of using the separate lounge for cosy winter evenings – and the four bedrooms give them ample space.

Shelley and Michael have the main bedroom with its luxury en-suite, their young son has bedroom two, and the additional bedrooms are currently used as a home gym and as an extra dressing room and wardrobe space.

But it was the location as much as the house style which was important for the family.

“I love the fact that we are surrounded by fields – we can hear cows mooing when we’re in the garden – and we can go on lovely walks and long bike rides to spend quality time together. There are woods nearby and there’s even a park on the development, which is perfect for Kai.

“It’s only 10 minutes from Kai’s school, and central to everywhere we might want to go, from Wales, to Chester and Ellesmere Port. Everything is on the doorstep, including Cheshire Oaks where we can shop, go bowling, take Kai to Laser Quest or Freedome trampoline park, and have family meals out,” adds Shelley.

The popular Pastures development is now near to selling out with only five properties remaining. They include two four-bedroom detached Stratford family homes from £332,995, a three-bedroom, three-bathroom Oxford Lifestyle at £355,995, and three-bedroom Warwick and Letchworth styles.

There’s also a choice of homes available at Redrow’s nearby Ledsham Garden Village development, with everything from a three-bedroom Amberley end terrace at £284,995 within Hawthorn Court, to three and four-bedroom detached family homes at Oaklands, currently from £323,995 to £344,995.

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