New home, new baby

When Yinka and Busola Akanji moved into their brand new house at Barratt’s Osidge Park development in Barnet, they had just three weeks to get themselves unpacked and settled in before the arrival of their baby daughter Tomi.

The Akanjis were one of the first couples to purchase a home off-plan at Osidge Park and enjoyed the pick of the plots; but they were nervous about moving. Not only was the birth of their daughter expected around the time of their move, Yinka had lived in his previous home, a three bedroom house in Edmonton, for 11 years, the last five years being with his wife Busola. The move to Barnet, in June 2006, was going to represent some major changes for the couple.

Busola, who works for the Royal Bank of Scotland in London, says: “The whole move seemed very daunting at first, however, the Barratt sales representatives were very helpful and the site manager Gary Newsome really impressed us. With our minds put at rest, everything went smoothly.”

Osidge Park is a popular development that benefits from an outstanding location. The scheme is set amongst beautifully landscaped grounds, with attractive water features, and offers a variety of stylish homes that appeals to young buyers, people downsizing and families. The majority of homes have been purchased by owner-occupiers and as a result a vibrant community is growing as the development nears its June 2007 completion.

Busola adds: “Osidge Park has ticks in all the boxes. Here we have newly built homes in a lovely leafy part of Greater London. Schools are another major attraction; there are some excellent ones in this part of Barnet; this really is an ideal development for families.”

The location is also convenient for Yinka, a software developer, who commutes daily to Kings Cross. Yinka’s journey to work takes just 40 minutes door-to-door.

Osidge Park has two electronic gated entrances. Just 12 three storey townhouses remain for sale, with each of these impressive properties including four bedrooms and three bath/shower rooms; ideal for busy households.

Busola agrees: “We have a lot of family and friends to stay so the four bedrooms provide us with plenty of room; in fact, everyone is amazed at the size of all the rooms throughout the house. Having three bathrooms is great; I can take as long as I like without a queue at the door and there are two cloakrooms too!”

The high quality specification also includes well-designed fitted kitchens, with integrated appliances including stainless steel ovens, hobs and hoods, dishwashers and washer-dryers. The townhouses all have their own front and rear gardens.

Also available in the final phase at Osidge Park is a superb choice of one and two bedroom apartments; many of which have balconies. The apartments and townhouses have private parking, and the apartments have audio/video entry systems.

Barnet’s town centre is less than four miles away from the development. London’s West End is just ten miles away and a choice of underground and overground stations offering trains to central London (journey time 30 minutes).

Prices for four bedroom townhouses at Osidge Park start at £460,000; three will be available to move in to in March 2007, the remaining nine will be ready in June 2007. Prices for two bedroom apartments start at £290,000. For further information, visit barratthomes.co.uk.