Though steeped in history, the cathedral city of Worcester has plenty currently under way to bring a superb mix of brand new homes to house-hunters in and around it.
As the county town of Worcestershire, and home to the University of Worcester, the city has a population of approximately 100,000 with a diverse mix of people living there.
Countywide, Worcestershire requires thousands of new homes over the next few years, with a significant proportion (30-40%) aimed to be ‘affordable’, that is, available to rent or buy for less than the open market value to meet the needs of those on modest incomes.
Light industry played a large role in Worcester’s development from the 18th century onwards, with the River Severn and Birmingham and Worcester Canal centre points to distributing production. A number of historic buildings have been open to conversion, or their locations re-used to provide appealing waterside homes, including a significant development at Diglis, in the south of the city, where the two waterways meet.
Aside from its appeal as a place to work itself, it also offers a great lifestyle to those living elsewhere. Commuting times are around 50 minutes to Gloucester, a little over an hour into central Birmingham and approaching 90 minutes to/from Bristol and Cardiff, with the nearby M5 helping keep travel times down.
The city’s shopping area was developed, somewhat controversially, around ten years ago, updating the historic centre with more modern facilities, though it retains many established open and wooded areas too. Its stations bring many UK major cities within direct reach.
It’s not just the city and its closest villages that are looking to satisfy demand for new homes in this part of the South West – 15 miles west of Worcester, in Bromyard, Bovis Homes is currently proposing a site with 500 new homes, which will be just half-an-hour’s drive from the city centre when completed.
New homes currently for sale in Worcester:
Out of its main construction region in London and the South East, multi-award-winning Berkeley Homes is working on two phases currently at its major The Waterside at Royal Worcester development. From £175,000 are a collection of apartments and penthouses from £175,000 at Billingsley Lodge and Fonthill Court, situated alongside the Birmingham and Worcester Canal. These new homes are just ten minutes’ walk from the city centre, and can be investigated at the marketing suite seven days a week, from 10.00am to 5.00pm.
For buyers in retirement, there are just a few apartments left at Francis Court, a specialist development from McCarthy & Stone in the north-west of the city, near Gheluvelt Park. The specification is aimed at older buyers, with numerous touches to make life easy, and with a 24-hour emergency service easily activated. One-bedroom apartments start at £199,950 and two-bedroom apartments start at £265,950 on this gated development for over-55s.
Lioncourt Homes, based in this city, is offering standard two- to four-bedroom homes alongside its Signature Collection four-bedroom designs at Saxon Meadows in the village of Kempsey, just a few miles south of the city. Kempsey, situated between the River Severn and M5, has plenty of its own amenities too. Prices here start at £205,000.
Close by is Elgar Park, a development of 80 new homes from national housebuilder Taylor Wimpey, named after the local-born classical composer. This mix of three-, four- and five-bedroom properties is just off the A38 and is available through a variety of assistance schemes, including Help to Buy, Part Exchange and Easymover, to meet different buyer needs, with open-market prices starting at £254,995. The marketing suite is open from 11.00 to 5.00pm from Thursday to Monday.
North of Worcester is the historic town of Droitwich Spa, where Persimmon is building 265 homes at the aptly named Persimmon @ Droitwich. There’s an excellent mix of property types, from two-bedroom to five-bedroom, and prices start at £189,000. Families will appreciate the mix of good schools for all ages within easy reach, and there are great local transport links.
Coming soon to Droitwich is a Redrow development, The Orchards, which will offer a range of the award-winning housebuilder’s traditionally designed homes with thoroughly modern specification. Help to Buy will be offered to assist buyers to purchase with a deposit as little as 5%.
Back closer to Worcester itself is Cherry Tree Park from Bellway, where a starting price of £210,500 includes a mix of property types. Right now, Part Exchange is available on a number of two-bedroom bungalows. Two railway stations lie within three miles of the development – Foregate Street and Shrub Hill – between them offering connections to Birmingahm, Hereford and London Paddington as well as a host of other major towns and cities.
A mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments and three- and four-bedroom houses is available from £140,000 from Careys New Homes at The Lane, situated on the former Worcester City football ground and adjacent to the Birmingham and Worcester Canal. These new homes are walking distance from the city centre and its main line stations.
High-specification homes with from three to five bedrooms are on their way at Wildmore, a new development from Bloor Homes. Perfect for families, these properties are within east reach of educational establishment for all ages: Nunnery Wood Primary and High School (seven minutes’ walk), Worcester Sixth Form College (four minutes on foot) and Worcester College of Technology (ten minutes by bike).