Bedfordshire has a lot to offer house-hunters searching for a mix of great value for money in the property market and the convenience of well-served towns and villages and excellent connections to other parts of the country.
For those seeking a brand new home, the county has plenty to offer right now, with extensive regeneration and the creation of new communities and towns which reflect its popularity and potential.
We take a look at just some of the recent news about current developments in Bedfordshire.
Forming the final phase of De Montfort Place, Storey Homes has introduced Haymarket Rise, an exclusive collection of 19 two-bedroom luxury apartments located in Bedford, which are due to be completed in May 2021. Designer kitchens are featuring laminate worktops and Bosch integrated appliances, and fitted wardrobes in the master bedrooms.
Situated within a Conservation Area, the contemporary apartments feature a communal lift, private gardens to ground floor apartments and balconies to all upper-floor properties. Residents will also benefit from communal gardens, tennis courts and allocated parking spaces.
Katy Jordan, managing director at Storey Homes, commented: “No longer bound to a physical office or limited by commuting distance, the ease of suburban life is a brilliant option. Our lives have evolved, buyers are less restricted when it comes to location and commuter towns are benefiting. Better value, less pollution, more space to breathe and everything on your doorstep in terms of amenities and easy city connections, Bedford is an excellent town to invest in and be based in.”
Bedford offers an extensive range of local amenities, shops and places to eat. There are 360 acres of award-winning picturesque green space at Priory Country, only 12 minutes away from De Montfort Place.
The town’s train station is just an 11-minute walk from Haymarket Rise and provides frequent fast trains into London and to Luton and Gatwick airports. The M1 is a five-mile drive away.
Prices start from £215,000. Find out more at storey-homes.co.uk.
The Printworks
Catalyst is launching The Printworks, a Shared Ownership development in Dunstable, via two virtual preview events on Saturday 17 October, at 11.00am and 2.00pm.
This will be delivering 10 two-storey two-bedroom houses and 27 three-bedroom houses, each property is available through the part buy-part rent scheme, starting with owning a 40% share. Buyers get integrated Zanussi appliances in the kitchen, high-quality bathrooms, contemporary floor-to-ceiling windows in the living spaces, turfing to the front garden, and turfing and a tree in every rear garden, all included in the price.
The homes are complemented by a richly planted community garden and dedicated green space for wildlife promoting biodiversity across the site, whilst an additional communal garden provides a further area for children to play.
Thoughtfully designed to celebrate the area’s rich history, architectural features pay homage to Dunstable’s past as a stage coaching town and centre for straw plaiting. Houses feature brick detailing which echo the hand-crafted weaving patterns used in straw plaiting, whilst select homes have archway features inspired by traditional coaching inns.
Markus Kendall-Young of Catalyst said: “Shared Ownership is a fantastic solution for buyers with smaller savings to be able to enjoy that same luxury of space, and Dunstable is a prime example of an area where it is really needed. Dunstable property prices have risen by over 30% in the past five years, putting this Bedfordshire town out of reach for many buyers. Through Shared Ownership, we hope to broaden access to the property market in Dunstable, and enable more families to lay permanent rooms here.”
Dunstable town centre’s extensive shops and amenities is a 15-minute walk away and there are plenty of schools nearby, including Beecroft Academy, Queensbury Academy, and the Dunstable Campus of Central Bedfordshire College.
Commuters can reach St. Pancras International in just over an hour via the guided busway and train. Luton is just a 15-minute journey away, with direct trains into London. For drivers, the A5 runs through Dunstable leading into the M1 a few miles north of the town.
Prices start from £116,000 for a 40% share of a two-bedroom house (based on a full market value of £290,000). Find out more at catalyst.homes.
Willow Grove
Barratt Homes is promoting the use of the Help to Buy scheme at Willow Grove in Wixams, a new town taking shape just south of Bedford.
Chanda Chileshe, senior sales manager at Barratt Homes Northampton, said: “With the availability of low-deposit mortgages declining so much over the summer, we’re here to reassure first-time buyers that schemes such as Help to Buy are still available.
“For property seekers in the area, it can be hard to know which moving scheme may suit them best and whether Help to Buy will offer them the best deals or not. We’ve found the scheme to be extremely successful at a number of our developments with its ability to help first time buyers onto the property ladder.”
The development, located on Southern Cross, has a range of two- and three-bedroom properties that are available to purchase using the scheme, from the Ambersham Apartments up to the three-bedroom ‘Queensville’ townhouse. Prices start at £212,995.
Find out more about Willow Grove from Barratt Homes.
Stotfold Park
Stotfold is a town where David Wilson Homes is offering a collection of three-, four- and five-bedroom homes which are perfect for a wide variety of buyers. Stotfold Park has show homes where by appointment, they can see for themselves the specification and options available, and be inspired by some current interiors trends. Four-bedroom homes are priced from £549,995 to £569,995.
The development is less than three miles away from Arlesey station, which means working professionals can arrive at London St Pancras in just 40 minutes. These homes are also less than two miles from the A1 and within easy reach of a host of neighbouring towns, such as Biggleswade, Letchworth Garden City, Stevenage, Bedford and Luton.
Residents of the development can walk to a supermarket, a range of schools, pubs and restaurants offering a range of cuisines. This includes the Ofsted rated ‘Outstanding’ Roecroft Lower School. There’s also Stotfold Watermill & Nature Reserve, and a range of parks, including a skate park, river side, play areas and sports facilities.
Find out more about Stotfold Park from David Wilson Homes.
Copsewood
Already having over 300 registrations of interest in the development, on Saturday 24 October Dandara will launch off-plan a brand new range of family homes in the popular town of Potton. Copsewood, located just off Mill Lane, will offer a collection of properties ranging from two- and three-bedroom houses to four- and five-bedroom family homes.
Simon Pendlebury, sales and marketing director for Dandara, commented: “Copsewood is going to bring a much-needed range of family homes to Potton. We expect the development to be very popular, particularly with families and first-time buyers. As well as local buyers, we are generally seeing an increasing number of enquiries from Londoners relocating to the commuter belt to purchase at new homes developments like Copsewood. Their aim is to buy bigger, gain better access to the countryside whilst retaining good access to London – and not forgetting catchments areas for good schooling. This ticks all the boxes.”
Sandy railway station is just an eight-minute drive away, providing services to St Pancras International in less than an hour. Road links are available with easy access to the A1 as well as the B1042 and A603 which offer a route to Cambridge in less than forty minutes.
Prices start at £390,000 for a three-bedroom detached home. Find out more at www.dandara.com.
Market Reach
Also in Potton is Market Reach from Mulberry Homes, where there’s a choice of three- to five-bedroom homes priced between £367,950 and £639,950. For those wanting a first look at the home styles, or who are trying to avoid travel, it has introduced virtual, 360° tours on its website www.mulberryhomes.co.uk. The sales team is on to answer any questions property seekers may have.
Buyers can ask about a selection of home moving schemes including Assisted Move, Help to Buy and Part Exchange – as well as Mulberry’s bespoke Key Workers Scheme, which offers £500 for every £20,000 spent on one of its homes and is available to staff from the emergency services, schools, hospitals, doctors’ surgeries and the armed forces.
Kerry Jones, sales director at Mulberry Homes, said: “I’m confident that virtual home-buying is here to stay, with many of our customers reporting on how easy they have found the whole process with virtual tours and video calls with our sales teams.
“I think it is a great opportunity for us as a business to advance the technology we use and look for new ways to make this experience as easy as possible for our customers. We’d also like to thank our purchasers for remaining optimistic with this new approach to homebuying.”
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