The WhatHouse? team considers some of the best places to live in Norfolk, focusing on the range of high-quality brand new homes currently for sale in the county’s favourite market towns.
All of the offers and buyer initiatives mentioned here are subject to terms and conditions.
King’s Lynn
Located on the River Great Ouse and about five miles from the coast, King’s Lynn made its name as a port town and market town in the Middle Ages, at one point considered the most important in England and famous for a number of trades from shipbuilding to brewing. There are numerous period buildings illustrating its history. It has kept up-to-date with today’s needs too, offering residents many outlets, services and cafés/restaurants on its shopping streets and in the Vancouver Quarter Shopping Centre. King’s Lynn’s railway station is on the end of the line to London King’s Cross, under two hours away, via Ely and Cambridge.
There’s just one property remaining for sale at Nar Valley Park, a Lovell Homes development bringing two- and three-bedroom living to the north of the town. Plot 81 is called ‘The Gainsborough’, a two-bedroom mid-terrace house with a garden, two parking spaces and a bicycle shed. Priced at £190,000, it is available using the housebuilder’s own Assisted Move scheme, where it will deal with estate agents and pay you fees for you on the property you are selling.
'The Blackthorn' house type at Kingsfleet, Hopkins Homes
Thetford
With a population of over 25,000 and located on the edge of the scenic Thetford Forest, Thetford has become a popular place to live, and this number will be increasing substantially over the next 30 years with the creation of a new community called Kingsfleet, on the northern edge of town, which will be delivering up to 5,000 new homes as well as new schools, parks and play areas, and job opportunities at new business park areas. Proximity to the A11 (40/50 minutes to Norwich/Cambridge), railway station and plenty of shops and amenities make this town a great choice to buy a new home.
Hopkins Homes is one of the active housebuilders at Kingsfleet at the moment. Reflecting the aim of making this new major development as appealing to as many house-hunters as possible, this housebuilder currently has a host of property types for sale right now, from one-bedroom apartments to five-bedroom executive homes. The architecture is influenced by the area’s traditional style but incorporates many up-to-date details in its specification. Prices range from £160,000 to £550,000 here right now.
Watton
Around 13 miles north of Thetford is Watton, with its own shops, schools and community amenities and about a 40-minute drive to the likes of Norwich, King’s Lynn and Downham Market.
Barratt Homes is on the edge of town and currently offering three- and four-bedroom new houses at Wayland Fields, with prices currently ranging from £269,995 to £319,995. There are some great offers and free upgrades worth thousands of pounds on selected plots. The ‘Simmons’, from £319,995, is ready to move into and right now buyers with get a flooring package worth over £6,000 and can choose an offer worth £16,000 (mortgage contribution or deposit contribution or moving/running costs). This four-bedroom detached home comes with a detached garage and two parking spaces, kitchen/dining room, lounge, en suite to bedroom one and ample built-in storage.
‘Maylands’ house type at William’s Park
Wymondham
A few miles south-west of Norwich, Wymondham is another market town on the A11, linking the city to London. It is also exceptionally well served by rail services, its main station offering direct journeys to the likes of Cambridge, Stansted Airport, Sheffield and Manchester. The town also has two ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted-rated primary schools and an exceptional state boarding/day school called Wymondham College. Residents have some excellent shops, places to eat, and services at hand too. A few years ago it was voted one of Britain’s ‘Best Places to Live’ by the Sunday Times.
Persimmon Homes’ Elm Farm is to the north-east of the town and offering a range of brand new two-, three- and four-bedroom homes, with show houses for potential buyers to see first-hand and to find out what special offers are currently available on selected plots here. The ‘Morden’ could make the perfect first home, a semi-detached house with open-plan kitchen/dining/family room downstairs, and two double bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. For families, the ‘Lumley’, from £350,000, might be a better option. It offers lounge, kitchen/diner and utility room on the ground floor, three bedrooms (one with en suite) and a family bathroom on the first floor and another en suite double bedroom on the top floor.
William’s Park is a Lovell development on the other side of town which is delivering its own collection of new two- to five-bedroom properties. The three-bedroom ‘Maylands’ is a detached house priced from £320,000 with two dual-aspect rooms on the ground floor (kitchen/diner and lounge) and an en suite to bedroom one, the other two sharing the family bathroom. This site is open to visitors seven days a week, from 10.00am to 5.00pm
South-east of the town is Birch Gate, a Bovis Homes scheme where a new phase of three-, four- and five-bedroom houses will be on sale soon.
‘Dawlish’ house type at Ceres Rise
Swaffham
Around 30 minutes from King’s Lynn and 40 minutes from Norwich, Swaffham has its own useful shops, restaurants and amenities too, including supermarkets, pharmacy and library. There are also clubs for football, rugby and cricket. There are primary and secondary schools in town rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted.
On the eastern edge of town, Barratt Homes has a range of three- and four-bedroom homes for sale from £259,995 at Ceres Rise. It’s proving popular, with nine homes sold over the past four weeks and the time of writing. With some of the homes featuring Norfolk Flint, there’s a mix of traditional and the modern here, and keen buyers can discuss options and upgrades with the sales team here. There are some current great offers on selected plots, one of them the ready-to-move-into ‘Dawlish’ on Plot 161, at £299,995. This three-bedroom/two-bathroom detached home is in a cul-de-sac with uninterrupted views of the countryside and comes with integral single garage, bay-windowed lounge, and utility room.
Persimmon Homes is also busy here at its Pedlars Meadow site, building a range of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes. The currently available properties range in price from £224,000 to £355,000. The top-of-the-range property right now is called ‘The Chedworth Corner’. It’s a detached home with kitchen and utility room, lounge, dual-aspect dining room, four bedrooms (one with en suite shower room) and a family bathroom. Outside is the single garage and private parking.
Sheringham
Sheringham is one of the seaside towns that sits on the North Norfolk Coast AONB, just four-miles from Cromer. Though far quieter than at its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, its still an active fishing port and popular with residents and visitors thanks to its sandy beaches and proximity to lovely countryside. There are plenty of everyday essentials and places to eat and drink, as well as a golf club and heritage railway. It’s also the terminus of a Greater Anglia service to Norwich which takes about 55 minutes, about the same as driving down the A140.
Seawood is a small collection of contemporary new homes situated on the edge of town, featuring vaulted ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, external zinc detailing and staircases with glass balustrades. Housebuilder Norfolk Homes is delivering a great range of property types with an impressive standard specification and options, sized from one to four bedrooms. Prices right now start at £315,000 for a semi-detached two-bedroom house with single garage. Find out more at www.norfolkhomes.co.uk.
Mill View
Dereham
Already an important market town at the time of the Domesday Book, Dereham (also known as East Dereham and not to be confused with West Dereham, around 25 miles away) offers its residents a great mix of national-brand and independent shops of all sorts, as well as useful services and a choice of restaurants, takeaways and pubs. It’s 30-40 minutes away direct along the A47 to Norwich and King’s Lynn. It’s around 12 miles to the nearest station at Wymondham.
Orbit Homes’ Mill View is part of a new community taking shape in the east of the town, close to a number of shops and amenities as well as the ‘Good’ Ofsted-rated Dereham Neatherd High School. This new development has a mix of three-, four- and five-bedroom houses for sale to suit many buyers. The current three-bedroom homes start at £275,000 for the ‘Welney’, a semi-detached property with 854 sq ft of living space. One of the bedrooms has an en suite, the others share a bathroom. Downstairs, the lounge is at the rear, with a separate kitchen/dining room at the front. Outside are a single garage and two parking spaces. For a limited time, reserving this home will include a design package worth £7,500.
On the south-eastern corner of town is Foxley Park, a Persimmon Homes development where there are currently a number of three- and four-bedroom houses for sale with starting prices ranging from £250,000 to £325,000. ‘The Dalby’ comes with an integral garage and a private driveway. From the porch is a living rooms and this leads to a kitchen/diner at the rear, with French doors to the garden. Bedroom one has en sute shower room, the family bathroom can be shared by the other two bedrooms. This detached house is priced from £285,000 but for a limited time, reserve it you’ll get a £10,000 discount.
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