The WhatHouse? team considers some of the best places to live in County Durham, focusing on the range of high-quality brand new homes currently for sale in and around the county’s market towns.
All special offers and initiatives mentioned here are subject to terms and conditions.
Find out more about brand new homes for sale in the following towns:
Bishop Auckland , Chester-le-Street , Darlington , Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
The town offers residents some great leisure and entertainment venues in addition to plenty of shops and amenities, and there’s a major regeneration project underway called Stockton Waterfront which aims to bring a large, landscaped public park by the River Tees. The likes of Middlesbrough, Darlington and Hartlepool are easily reached and there are rail services to numerous towns and cities in the region including Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Sunderland.
Keepmoat Homes is working on The Sycamores, a collection of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes in the heart of the town with local amenities on the doorstep. There are schools for all ages in the area and it’s only a few minutes’ cycle ride across the river to the Queen’s Campus of Durham University. Some appealing family houses for sale here right now start from £196,995, and investors are invited to ask about an investment deal of up to 5% yield with a Sale and Leaseback scheme on selected show homes. Find out more about The Sycamores.
On the northern edge of town, Avant Homes’ Summerville Quarter currently has three- and four-bedroom homes for sale with starting prices from £224,995 to £301,995, with a specification that includes bi-fold doors, exclusive kitchen designs and full-height tiling as standard. Some essential services are just a few minutes’ walk away, and it’s under three miles to the town centre. Buyers can ask about an offer where the housebuilder will make a contribution to 12 months’ mortgage payments for selected plots. Find out more about Summerville Quarter.
To the west of town, and within easy reach of another market town – Yarm – is Harebell Meadows, where Persimmon Homes is currently offering a choice of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes starting at £149,950. On selected plots, the housebuilder has a choice of incentives to consider, including 5% deposit paid, 105% Part Exchange or cash back of up to £25,000. There are show homes to visit here. Find out more about Harebell Meadows.
Wynyard is attracting interest from buyers across a range of budgets thanks to the work of a number of housebuilders. Barratt Homes has two-, three- and four-bedroom houses starting from £148,000 thanks to a Discount to Market Value initiative with the council on selected plots. Buyers pay the discounted price as a percentage of the full price (£148,000 for the two-bedroom ‘Kenley’, 80% of its full price) and when they sell, will do so at 80% of its market value then, to pass on the discount benefit to the next buyer. Buyers of full market value properties will find offers on deposit and costs contributions on some homes. Find out about Highgrove at Wynyard Park.
Neighbouring this, David Wilson Homes is offering three- and four-bedroom homes from £238,995 to £399,995, with a few ready to move into this summer. Keen buyers can secure deals on some plots including contributions to costs and deposits and, for those with a property to sell, Part Exchange Guarantee. There are two show homes to view. Find out more about Highgrove at Wynyard Park from David Wilson Homes.
Charles Church is another housebuilder active here at its development called The Oaks. As with the others, residents benefit from proximity to the well-served town of Billingham, which offers many shops and facilities of its own, from shops and restaurants to sports clubs and medical services. There’s a range of four- and five-bedroom executive homes to consider there, with starting priced ranging from £354,950 to £549,950, with two- and three-storey layouts to choose from. Find out more about The Oaks at Wynyard Estate.
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The Orchard at West Park from Barratt Homes
Darlington
Around 16 miles west of Middlesbrough and 18 miles south of Durham, Darlington currently has plenty to offer its population of over 90,000 and there are plans in place to create a brand new Garden Village to the north-west of the town which will not only bring over 2,000 new homes to the area, but also a new primary school, several new community facilities and an area set aside for creating new employment opportunities. Darlington is close to the A1(M) and has an extremely well-served railway station, so it’s also a good place from which to travel to other parts of the region and beyond.
Barratt Developments – a former holder of the prestigious title of WhatHouse? Housebuilder of the Year – is delivering a host of house types at The Orchard at West Park, part of another new village area taking shape just outside the town which offers families good schools nearby. Under its Barratt Homes brand, there are some great offers on the current three- and four-bedroom homes for sale, including contributions to the moving process and Part Exchange, as well as Home Reach ‘part buy-part rent’ on selected plots. With David Wilson Homes, it’s a different range of homes, also with three or four bedrooms, and some plots come with major special offers worth many thousands of pounds, or use Part Exchange to avoid the hassles and costs of the property chain. Prices start at £219,995.
Nearby, also just 10 minutes from the town centre, Gentoo is another developer busy building new homes in this area at Sweetbriar Park, currently three-, four- and five-bedroom house types with designs inspired by local traditional architecture but incorporating a thoroughly up-to-date specification. Some of these properties come with tailored offers of contributions to mortgage or deposit payments, or upgrade packages. The site is open to house-hunters seven days a week. Prices currently start at £234,995. Find out more about Sweetbriar Park.
Bishops Park II
Bishop Auckland
Around 12 miles from both Durham and Darlington, Bishop Auckland grew during the Industrial Revolution due to its part in the mining industry. With regeneration of the shopping and transport services of the town centre planned, there are also hundreds of new homes, both in the open market and affordable sectors, coming to the area.
Linden Homes has just unveiled the second phase of its Bishops Park development on the eastern edge of town, with brand new three- and four-bedroom homes for sale from £185,995. There are selected plots which qualify for the Deposit Unlock scheme, requiring a deposit of just 5%, and other offers on Part Exchange and upgrade packages. There are two show homes open here. Find out more about Bishops Park II.
Gleeson Homes has just unveiled two show homes at Bracks Farm, only a 20-minute walk from the town centre, where three- and four-bedroom homes – some of them ready to move into now – currently start at £179,995 and £242,995 respectively, with two-bedroom properties coming soon. Right now, buyers will need a reservation fee of just £99 on the home they want. The Deposit Unlock scheme is available on selected plots, and there are extras and upgrades on some units too. Find out more about Bracks Farm.
Close by in the village of Shildon – well-known for its museum focusing on its global significance in the creation of steam-powered railways – Persimmon Homes is busy at Middridge Vale, a development where it has launched a collection of four-bedroom homes that could be a perfect choice for families. In addition to its working station, there’s are essential shops and services on the doorstep and it’s less than ten minutes’ drive for residents to reach the market town. Prices start at £209,950 and purchasers can ask about incentives such as deposit boost, Part Exchange and cash back. Find out more about Middridge Vale.
Vanbrugh Gate
Chester-le-Street
This town is on the northern edge of the county, alongside the River Wear midway between Durham and Newcastle. Alongside its thrice-weekly markets are a shopping centre and host other retail and service outlets, numerous sports and leisure clubs, a riverside park and a railway station with services to the likes of Leeds, York and Manchester. The proximity of the A1(M) also makes is a well-connected town.
Avant Homes is building three- and four-bedroom houses at Vanbrugh Gate are just a couple of miles from the town centre and a 15-minute drive from the much-admired Metrocentre. The homes here have attractive contemporary design features and currently some plots come with a mortgage contribution offer, and there’s an option of Part Exchange that might help some buyers. Find out more about Vanbrugh Gate.
On the outskirts of town in Pelton Fell, Taylor Wimpey’s Chester Grange is now 75% sold but there are still three- and four-bedroom homes for sale here, most on the open market but with selected plots available with a Discount to Market Value scheme – the three-bedroom ‘Dadford’ with private driveway starts at £153,596 for 80% of its full value, offering the benefits of full ownership, so there’s no rent to pay. Some of the properties for sale at full price offer a deposit contribution. Find out more about Chester Grange.
Miller Homes is close by, offering more properties in Pelton. There are special offers at Trinity Green like Assisted Move for people with a home to sell, or first-time buyers could benefit from a deposit contribution or up to £15,000 cashback. Prices start at £180,950 for a three-bedroom home. Find out more about Trinity Green.
In Bournmoor, to the east of the town, Miller Homes is building very much inspired by traditional local style, but with a thoroughly up-to-date specification and energy-efficiency rating. There’s a really impressive variety of homes here, from one-bedroom coach houses to two-bedroom apartments and three-, four- and five-bedroom houses. Prices range from £199,950 to £675,950, with a host of offers for movers and first-timers. Find out more about Lambton Park.
Find out more about current new homes developments in County Durham.
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