Month: February 2016

Property-seekers looking to improve their lifestyle in 2016 are urged to find out more about the benefits of contemporary living at Taylor Wimpey’s stunning Bakers Quarter development in Eastleigh.

The three-bedroom, three-storey ‘Woodbury’ is now available to purchase at this sought-after development from just £297,500, and features a flowing open-plan ground-floor layout that’s perfect for busy family life.

And with a large first-floor living room which can alternatively be used as an extra bedroom, the versatility of this spacious property is also a real attraction for discerning purchasers.

Fiona Creed, Regional Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey, said: “With a generous open-plan layout and plenty of space for the whole family across three storeys, the ‘Woodbury’ offers the flexibility that today’s housebuyers are looking for.

“It’s no wonder that savvy buyers are already showing a great deal of interest in these stunning brand new homes and I would urge would-be purchasers to contact us today – before someone else beats them to their perfect property!”

The ‘Woodbury’ features a large kitchen/breakfast room which flows seamlessly through into the dining room, where French doors provide access to the private rear garden. A guest cloakroom completes the ground-floor layout.

Upstairs, the first-floor landing leads to the living room, a bedroom with an attractive bay window and a family bathroom, while the en-suite master bedroom and a further large double bedroom occupy the top floor. Outside, the property benefits from parking for two cars.

Taylor Wimpey offers a range of helpful homebuyer incentives, including the Help to Buy scheme, which enables eligible first-time buyers and those with a property to sell to secure a Government loan for up to 20% of the full price of their new home – meaning they only need a 75% loan-to-value mortgage and a deposit as low as 5%. Help to Buy is available on new-build homes up to the value of £600,000 and there’s no salary cap for purchasers making use of the scheme.

Alternatively, Part Exchange sees customers trading up to a new home at Bakers Quarter receive an agreed offer price for their existing home, based on the average of independent professional valuations, with Taylor Wimpey acting as their cash buyer.

Eastleigh is a popular town situated between Southampton and Winchester and within easy reach of the beautiful New Forest and South Downs National Park.

The centre features the Swan Shopping Centre which boasts more than 40 shops, plus restaurants, a cinema, tenpin bowling alley and a range of supermarkets.

Those with families will also appreciate the good choice of primary and secondary schools in Eastleigh, including two further education colleges.

Eastleigh railway station is just a short walk from Bakers Quarter, and provides regular services to London Waterloo in around 75 minutes as well as trains to Winchester, Southampton and its airport, plus Bournemouth and Poole.

Commuters can also make use of the M3 and M27 motorways which provide easy access to Southampton, Winchester, Bournemouth, Portsmouth and London.

To find out more about living better in 2016 in a brand new home at Bakers Quarter, home-hunters can make an appointment to visit the Sales Information Centre at the nearby The Sidings development, located at Mill Street, Eastleigh, SO50 4HJ, by calling the Sales Executive on 0238 202 3079.

Further information about Taylor Wimpey developments across the region is available by calling 01962 676700 or visiting the website at www.taylorwimpey.co.uk.…

Wistaria is a very select development of only five detached homes, each different, each with its own individual character. The common theme running throughout is the wonderfully light filled and spacious interiors, which wholeheartedly embrace sustainability in materials and construction methods, resulting in highly desirable homes that are a joy to live in. 

The recently launched show home at this Hazeley Developments’ latest project gives a clear idea of the lifestyle achievable in this idyllic village location. Here at Wistaria in Medstead, five detached homes are well positioned to take advantage of the village amenities with a superb array of local shops on the doorstep. Medstead has its own sense of community with numerous active clubs and organisations with the added benefit of Four Marks, Alresford and Alton all nearby.

Kitchens include a full range of integrated appliances and all extend into a large, fabulous, conservatory style space with ample room for dining or relaxing, and glazed doors to the gardens. This will be the hub of the home. 

Four double bedrooms on the first floor are accompanied by en suites and bathrooms, each with contemporary, sleek porcelain tiling and quality fittings.  

Living on the edge of the countryside the generous rear gardens open out onto a rural vista and will really come into their own when the summer returns with large, beautifully paved terraces, leading onto lawns, with hedges to the boundaries.

Careful positioning has maximised space between the houses and each has at least one garage with additional parking. The houses at either end of the scheme have detached double garages, one with an external staircase to a useful storeroom above.

Those who have visited the site have remarked that the homes are delightfully bright and give a great sense of quality living space and the overall specification and finish is most impressive. It is easy to imagine a country lifestyle combined with the convenience and style of a modern home.

Jonathan Humphrey of Hazeley Developments says: “The show home demonstrates how well the layouts work with the open plan glazed area of the kitchen creating a distinctive feature in each house, providing superb, light living space suitable for a variety of uses depending on the residents. The underfloor heating, and areas for dining furniture and sofas, make it the room of choice throughout the day.”

The houses are competitively priced ranging from £775,000 to £875,000. The show home is open on Saturdays or week day appointments to view can be made by calling Savills on 01962 834045.…

2015 Charity of the Year – summary

Belgarum had a great 2015 in terms of business accomplishments, achieving their best ever figures to date, but also in terms of the voluntary and fundraising contributions and commitment made by staff for their 2015 Charity of the Year, Trinity Winchester. Trinity Winchester helps Winchester’s homeless and vulnerable people. Belgarum raised a fantastic amount for Trinity Winchester and were ranked in Just Giving’s top 3% of fundraisers in 2015.

Fundraising efforts throughout the year included participating in The Big Sleep Out whereby a £1,500 donation helped sponsor the event but a massive £1,735 was raised in sponsorship to support Managing Director John Leeson and 5 members of his staff slept rough for the night in the Cathedral grounds. Then in September, the Belgarum ladies took part in the 5km ‘Run or Dye’ race raising a further £326.16.

Furthermore as part of our ongoing support and alliance with Winchester Round Table, Belgarum were also able to put forward Trinity Winchester as their nominated charity to receive donations from Winchester Round Table initiatives. £3,500 was raised from the buckets at the Bonfire and Fireworks, of which £1,300 is going to Trinity Winchester. Belgarum also got involved in the Santa’s Sleigh campaign, accompanying the sleigh and helping collect donations on the evening for Trinity Winchester. A total of £3,100 was raised from the Santa’s Sleigh which will be split between 15 local charities.

In addition to fundraising, staff at Belgarum also supported Trinity Winchester with several cooking sessions in the kitchen; food runs to Sainsbury’s Badger Farm and Greggs in the city; Wear Your Gloves to Work Day; jobseekers workshops as well as help on their Christmas market stall.

2016 Charity of the Year – staff vote for new charity

With momentum running strong following a great year of fundraising and voluntary support, Belgarum’s call for charities to apply for their 2016 position was very well received and Belgarum would like to thank all of local charities who submitted information detailing the fantastic work they do for their worthy causes. The nominations were put to a staff vote. It is important at Belgarum that all staff has an equal say in who they want to help and support for the coming year as it is down to the staff contributing their time and resources for the company’s charity work that makes it a successful partnership.

The winner of the staff vote is also a local independent organisation. They host projects for disadvantaged children and adults in Winchester with emotional issues through a creative method of music therapy. Belgarum are proud to announce that the charity they will be supporting throughout 2016 is Key Changes Music Therapy.

Beccy Read, Key Changes Coordinator, says “Key Changes Music Therapy are absolutely delighted to have been selected by Belgarum as their Charity of the Year. Our music therapy work aims to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our community, and as a small Winchester based charity this relationship with a top local business is a first for us and comes at a time when we have several prospective Winchester projects, which we want to support and with their help, this creates the possibility that we can make progress with these. Thank you Belgarum, we look forward to working with you.”…

Enjoying a tucked away location in Park Lane at Twyford, Valentine Cottage is hoping to attract a suitor this weekend.

This period cottage has flexible reception areas depending on lifestyle and a very pretty garden for enjoying sunny days when they return or even star gazing on a clear night with a loved one.

The front door opens into an enclosed porch which has a door to the sitting room. A dining room lies behind this with an opening through to the kitchen with a good range of units. There is also a bedroom on the ground floor and a shower room. At the rear of the cottage, with access from the kitchen and the dining room is a conservatory with a utility room at one end, both with doors to the garden

Upstairs, tucked neatly into the eaves, is a large double bedroom with twin sky light windows to the rear facing aspect. There is a built in wardrobe and an adjacent cloakroom.

The front of Valentine Cottage is discreetly shielded from the lane by a mature hedge but it is thought that this could be removed to create a parking space should the purchaser desire. The south facing garden at the rear has pretty shrub borders around the lawn and has a very private feel.

Twyford is a popular village with good local amenities and with excellent links to nearby Winchester and the motorway network.

Purdie & Swan quote a price of £325,000 and will be happy to arrange a visit to this lovely cottage but be prepared to fall in love. Call the office on 01962 717711…

This modern version of a classic Edwardian style house sits in an excellent position in a popular village close to Winchester.

Colden Common is a village to the south of Winchester where there are local amenities including a village store, small supermarket, doctor’s surgery, pharmacy, pubs and a restaurant. The village primary school has a good reputation and feeds into the excellent Kings Secondary School in Winchester.

The classic good looks of the house incorporate bold bay windows, high gables and an attractive porch with wood frame detailing protects the front door from the weather. The sitting room, dining room and study all radiate from the entrance hall, together with the kitchen which lies at the rear of the house and connects with the utility room and garage. The sitting and dining rooms can be opened up by way of double doors and a conservatory has been added to the dining room to create a further relaxing space.

Four double bedrooms on the first floor all have fitted wardrobes and the master bedroom has its own shower room, leaving the main bathroom to the rest of the family. With the substantial roof and high gable above the bay window it is thought that there is potential for a loft conversion should a family require more space

Private parking is provided to the front of the garage with an attractive garden to the side of the driveway. The rear garden is simply laid out with the lawn giving way to flower and shrub borders.

Chris Pickard of Goadsby in Winchester says: “This is a fine example of a family home, in a hugely popular village. The accommodation is presented in fantastic order and offers excellent accommodation. With such good local amenities and school catchments nearby, this home is a great opportunity for a growing family.”

A price of £550,000 is quoted. Further details are available from Chris and his team by calling the office on 01962 620444.…