Posted 6 February 2023 by
Keith OsborneThe WhatHouse? team considers some of the best places to live in Shropshire, focusing on the range of high-quality brand new homes currently for sale in the county’s favourite market towns and surrounding villages.
Pershore
Located in the south of the county, on the River Avon around nine miles from Worcester and six miles from Evesham, Pershore is well known for its abbey and a host of listed Georgian buildings but it offers a good range of shops and amenities of its own including a medical centre and leisure centre. The town has a number of well-rated primary schools (the highlight being ‘Outstanding’ Holy Redeemer Catholic Primary School) and a ‘Good’ rated secondary school. The Cotswolds is only a few minutes away for those who love the outdoors. Pershore station is on the line from London Paddington to Worcester.
The area in and around Pershore is busy with a host of brand new homes to meet demand. Persimmon, one of the UK’s largest housebuilders, has a development called Orchard Mews which is delivering houses with two to five bedrooms – something for almost everyone. Prices currently start at £240,000 for the selection of detached and semi-detached properties. For those on a more modest budget, Signature is offering the opportunity to use Shared Ownership to step onto the property ladder at this development. Prices start at £100,000 for a 40% share of the two-bedroom ‘Alnwick’ (full market price £250,000) – a discounted rent would be payable on the 60% not purchased, but the buyer can ‘staircase’ to own a greater share later.
Developer Sanctuary is offering both outright sale and Shared Ownership at The Orchards, close by in Drakes Broughton. Qualifying house-hunters can ‘part buy-part rent’ a brand new house from £108,000 for a 40% share of two-bedroom ‘The Ellison’ (full market price £270,000) or £120,000 for a 40% share of ‘The Breedon’ (full market price for this three-bedroom home £300,000). The open-market homes, with three, four or five bedrooms, start at £378,000.
Evesham
Surrounded on three sides by the River Avon, Evesham is well-served on its high street and the Riverside Shopping Centre and there are also good cafés and restaurants, amenities and leisure facilities too. The station has direct services to a number of major towns and cities, among them Worcester, Oxford, Hereford and London (about two hours into Paddington). By road, Worcester, Tewkesbury and Stratford-upon-Avon are all within half-an-hour of home. Standing out from the crowd of schools ranked ‘Good’ by Ofsted are the ‘Outstanding’ Bengeworth CE Academy and Prince Henry’s High School.
Sanctuary is building in the northern part of the town, with Green Vale offering a chance to purchase outright or part buy-part rent through Shared Ownership. Prices for the latter start at £100,000 for a 40% share of ‘The Belton’ (full market price £240,000). On the open market, prices right now range from £295,000 to £336,000 for a selection of three-bedroom designs.
The Crescent (Bovis Homes)
Kidderminster
In the north of the county, Kidderminster became a major town during the Industrial Revolution with its manufacturing of cloth and carpeting. A museum for this history is complemented by lots of other places to enjoy yourself, including a heritage railway, and there are plenty of shopping options too, from small independent shops to large supermarkets and a retail park. Families will find a number of primary and secondary schools rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted. Kidderminster is within an hour of numerous major towns and cities, making it a popular commuter town for the likes of Worcester, Telford and Birmingham thanks to major roads leading from the town, and a good range of rail services.
Signature is a developer offering brand new homes at St Mary’s Place, only a mile from the centre of the town. Prices start at £215,250 for a two-bedroom semi-detached house called the ‘Warner’, with a three-bedroom ‘Allister’ from £275,750 and a number of four-bedroom properties starting with the ‘Ashcroft’ at £345,500.
Just north-east of the town in the village of Cookley, national housebuilder Bovis Homes is hard at work at The Crescent, another varied development with two-, three- and four-bedroom homes with starting prices right now ranging from £229,995 to £534,995. For a limited time there are some special offes on selected plots, including Stamp Duty paid on the three-bedroom ‘Douglas’ and energy bills paid for 12 months for the four-bedroom ‘Chestnut’, from £430,000.
Tenbury Wells
Near the borders with Shropshire and Herefordshire, Tenbury Wells came to prominence in the 19th century, when mineral springs and wells were discovered, leading to the town’s new name. Its history is symbolised by the notable Pump Rooms bath house building. There are a few shops, including a superstore, and several amenities such as a swimming pool, sports and skate park. Leominster, Worcester and Kidderminster are all within a 30-minute drive, as is the Shropshire Hills AONB. There’s an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted-rated pre-school in town, great news for young families, and the junior and secondary schools are rated ‘Good’.
There’s just one home remaining for sale at Morningside, a Stonewater Homes development off Oldbury Road, and this Shared Ownership. Plot 2 is a two-bedroom house with private parking and it is for sale at £80,000 for a 40% share (full market price of £200,000), which would also have a rental charge of £275 per month. Find out more at stonewaterhomes.co.uk.
Find retirement homes in Worcestershire
Find new homes in Worcestershire