Riverside Plaza: A great investment, a better place to live

Riverside Plaza, a superb new waterside development of apartments and houses by Barratt, enjoys a lovely setting on the banks of the River Medway and within easy walking distance of Maidstone’s bustling town centre.

Purchaser, Dr Wakefield, swift to spot the development’s potential, decided to invest in a four-bedroom townhouse at the beginning of the year and was delighted at the speed at which the property was ‘snapped up’ by a family looking to rent a new home in the area.

“As soon as I first visited Riverside Plaza, I loved the location. I knew that the riverside setting, combined with the close proximity to the town centre would make it a great place to live and a perfect investment,” comments Dr Wakefield. “Our faith in the development was justified when we found tenants so quickly and we are even considering buying another property.”

Dr Wakefield’s tenants, Debbie and Doug Marsh and their three daughters, Jess, Lauren and Hannah, are equally impressed with Riverside Plaza. The family is used to living close to water as they lived used to live on a tugboat on the River Medway. Their plans to convert the boat into a beautiful five-bedroom home, complete with cinema and gym, fell through when Debbie needed a back operation and was unable to go up and down between decks so they sold the boat and had to look for a new home.

A visit to local rental agents, Martin & Co, introduced The Marsh family to Dr Wakefield’s townhouse, which was absolutely perfect for them; in fact, living so close to the water makes it seem as if they are back on their tug boat – albeit with masses more space!

“We’ve got floor-to-ceiling windows and large balconies leading from our bedroom, the sitting room and one of our daughters’ bedrooms, so we feel really close to the water,” comments Debbie. “In fact, our friends who still live at the marina think it’s the next best thing to living on a boat!”

The friendly, community atmosphere that the family enjoyed when living in the marina is clearly in evidence at Riverside Plaza: “Our neighbours are really friendly; whenever we’re out on our balcony there’s always someone around to say hello.” says Debbie.

Riverside Plaza is just a five-minute drive from the centre of Maidstone, which is proving wonderfully convenient: “When we lived on the boat it was a long journey to the girls’ school and now it’s just a quick drive away,” says Debbie. “There’s a station down the road and so the girls can also travel to school by train and are using the station for trips up to London.”

The move has been such a success that the family would love to continue renting their house at Riverside Plaza.

Homes currently available for sale at Riverside Plaza are priced from £166,995 for a one-bedroom apartment, £199,995 for a two-bedroom apartment and £295,995 for a four-bedroom apartment. Spacious three-bedroom townhouses with three balconies, a terrace and an integral double garage are priced from £379,995.

For further information, and to view the show homes, visit the website at Barratthomes.co.uk.