A downsizer’s dream in Hailsham

John and Mary Hughes had been living in a three-bedroom house in Biggin Hill, Kent for 32 years when they decided it was time to look for somewhere smaller and more manageable.

John, 68, said: “It was important to us that our next home didn’t need much work doing to it, so buying a brand new property was the ideal option. We heard about Halyards Place in Hailsham through a close friend and first visited just before Christmas last year.”

It didn’t take long for John and Mary to choose a two-bedroom semi-detached house with garage, two en suite bathrooms and a downstairs cloakroom at the development by Barratt Southern Counties and they moved into their new home in March this year.

Mary, 65, said: “The layout of our new home is well-planned and really suitable for people of our age. The rooms are spacious and the doorways are wide, which makes it really easy to move around the house.”

Financially, John and Mary were well-placed to make their first home move for over 30 years - they only paid £14,995 for their previous property in 1977 - and had managed to pay off their mortgage in its entirety, meaning that they could pay in cash this time around.

John, a retired police officer, explains: “We paid £190,000 for our new home and Barratt paid our stamp duty which was a real help. Our new fitted carpets were even included in the purchase price!”

Buying a new property has made downsizing incredibly easy for John and Mary as Barratt re-constructed one of their en suite bathrooms on their behalf before they moved in, so that it included a seated shower.

Mary, a former doctors’ receptionist, goes on: “It was also great to be able to choose the tiles in our fully-fitted kitchen, en suite bathroom and cloakroom before we moved in, so it was exactly to our taste. Our house was literally ‘ready to move into’ and so comfortable, we settled in straight away although it was a big change having been in the same house for so long.”

Halyards Place comprises 22, two, three and four-bedroom houses which take their architectural inspiration from the East Sussex cottage-style vernacular and will contribute to the character of the area. Barratt has experienced great sales success at the development and only eight properties now remain available, prices start from £216,995 for a three-bedroom home.

Hailsham is a friendly and attractive village surrounded by pretty countryside. John and Mary enjoy eating out at the local restaurants and are already finding their feet in the village which has a wide range of amenities, shops, eateries and entertainment. The High Street is home to a choice of three supermarkets and a selection of household names as well as boasting a number of boutiques and specialist shops. Adding to the variety are two weekly markets, monthly farmers’ and a crafts market.

Adjacent to the town is the National Nature Reserve, the Pevensey Levels, a low-lying tract of largely reclaimed wetland framed against the distinctive backdrop of the South Downs and home to some of the rarest species of birds and plant life in the UK.

Commuters will appreciate the convenient road and rail links to the town: Polegate station, four miles from Hailsham, provides frequent direct trains to London Victoria, Eastbourne and Hastings. The railway journey to Eastbourne only takes ten minutes, whilst the journey to London takes approximately 90 minutes. By road, London Gatwick Airport is a just under an hour away via the A22 and A23 and Newhaven Harbour with regular ferries to France is accessible in a little under half-an-hour.

Prices at Halyards Place start from £216,995 for a three-bedroom home. For further information or to view the showhome, call into the Sales Centre, Horsebridge, Hailsham, BN27 1NY or visit barratthomes.co.uk.