Location Of The Day: Banbury, Oxfordshire

Location could be the most important factor in the house-hunting search, and the WhatHouse.com team looks around Britain for some of the best locations to consider purchasing a new build home. Banbury in Oxfordshire is today’s choice, being a great place to live with an excellent range of active new homes developments.

Located on the northern tip of the county, close to the borders with Northamptonshire and Warwickshire, strictly speaking it’s part of the Home Counties but is ideally placed for the Midlands region and with rail and road links to many major towns and cities, it is a great base for commuting for work or travelling for pleasure.

This market town has a rich history of at least 1,500 years and over time it has been a successful centre for a number of industries including wool, cattle food and drink, and motorsport. Its own employment opportunities mean it is far more than a commuter town. It has grown around the River Cherwell and Oxford Canal and now offers an impressive range of shops, amenities and leisure venues. There’s a museum and gallery, arts centre, cinemas, plenty of sports facilities and public parks. A whole range of places to eat and drink and enjoy a night out are located around the town centre.

For children of all ages, there are numerous nurseries, schools and colleges rated ‘Good’ and ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, and there’s Fairleigh Dickinson University just outside town in Wroxton.

Banbury has always been well connected for a range of transport and that continues today. The M40 passes the eastern outskirts and other major roads put the likes of Leicester, Northampton, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon within easy reach. Banbury was a major rail hub and retains an important role, serving routes to the likes of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Reading and Southampton.

Orchard View

The brand new homes at developments in and around Banbury cater for an array of requirements and budgets. For those taking a first step on the property ladder, or getting back on it after a period of renting, Shared Ownership might be the ideal option and it requires a much lower deposit and mortgage than owning outright. Sanctuary is a housing provider offering new homes to ‘part buy-part rent’ at Orchard View located just two miles north-west of the town centre. Prices for two- and three-bedroom homes range from £93,000 to £118,000 for a 40% share (full market values from £232,500 to £295,000). You pay rent on the proportion you don’t own but over time, you can purchase further shares if you wish, up to 100% ownership.

Nearby, Persimmon Homes is building a range of open market homes at Hanwell Chase and right now, there’s just one house remaining for sale here. Called ‘The Elmbridge’, it’s a four-bedroom detached property with a single garage and starting price of £450,000. It has a kitchen/family room with utility room, a separate dining room, a lounge, an en suite to the main bedroom and a family bathroom for the other three to share.

Not far from here, Kendrick Homes is active at White Horse Meadows (named after the famous statue in the centre of town), building a variety of terraced, semi-detached and detached houses with two to four bedrooms. ‘The Cloverley’, at £295,000, could be a perfect two-bedroom first home. Top of the range right now is ‘The Chillington’, from £599,000, which is a luxurious detached house with integral garage. There’s a utility room and a larder off the spacious kitchen/dining/family room, a separate lounge, four double bedrooms (one with en suite) and a family bathroom with bath and walk-in shower.

Find out more about current brand new homes for sale in Banbury.

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