Mouthwatering views
SALES of hot-tubs, pizza ovens and pop-up pergolas are soaring as Brits resign themselves to a holiday at home this summer but it’s not so bad for those lucky enough to live near water – even if it’s rivers, canals or lakes rather than the sea. Home owners atWimbushWaters on the northern outskirts of Chelmsford, in Essex, can feel doubly pleased as they overlook two lakes from their gardens, balconies, roof terraces or decking.
They have exclusive access to the lake for water sports, such as paddleboarding and boating, and they’re also only 30 miles or so from sandy beaches.
On top of that, trains to London Liverpool Street take just 35 minutes, should they ever need to commute again, and there’s a new railway station opening nearby in 2025 – Chelmsford Beaulieu – to save the journey into the city centre.
WimbushWaters is a new development of two, three and four-bedroom houses plus two-bedroom apartments that is part of the Homes At Channels development between the A12 and A130, giving it good access to Colchester or Stansted Airport.
Nearby is The Lakes, another Marden Homes development overlooking a separate lake and both are on the edge of Beaulieu Park, which has a New England-style village atmosphere with its own school, community centre and medical facilities as well as shops and cafés.
Marden Homes’s sales and marketing manager Andy Wren says London leavers looking for Home Counties escapes will get better value in Chelmsford than other market towns such as Guildford in Surrey or St Albans in Hertfordshire.
“Value and growth potential, combined with countryside, London transport connections and renowned cultural and leisure opportunities, means Chelmsford is fast becoming the Home Counties’ hidden hotspot for buyers,” he adds.
Prices start from £395,000 for twobedroom apartments atWimbushWaters, with semi-detached houses from £437,500 right up to £1.2million for a four-bedroom detached house (01702 437100; mardenhomes.co.uk).
Two-bedroom apartments at The Lakes are for sale from £650,000 with penthouses from £1million and four-bedroom detached houses from £1.85million.
The homes have been compared to smart waterside developments in The Cotswolds, where Gloucester is getting a new lease of life thanks to regeneration investment in the historic cathedral city.
There’s a vibrancy around Gloucester Quays designer outlet centre and the nearby Victorian warehouses at Gloucester Docks that are now home to bars, restaurants and flats.The Cathedral Quarter has also been improved, an award-winning bus station opened in 2018 and Gloucester railway station is to be upgraded.
Several developments are planned for sites around the city but for those who want easy access to water there is The Waterfront at Gloucester Quays, a collection of one and two-bedroom apartments – many with balconies overlooking the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.
These open-plan flats are a short walk from the old docks and shops, while the canal is a haven for canoeists and anglers.
Prices for one-bedroom flats start from £179,000 and £247,000 for two bedrooms, with Help To Buy available for first-time buyers and part-buy part-rent available with Home Reach (01452 405562; crestnicholson.com).
Earlier this year Gloucester City Council leader Richard Cook declared it was a “very exciting time for Gloucester”, adding: “The huge scale of regeneration that has taken place is set to bring more investment into the city boosting our local economy, helping businesses and providing jobs.”
It’s not a bad place for a staycation, either, close to the Forest of Dean as well as being part of the Cotswolds countryside and its string of historic market towns and cities.