From Russia with love in Telford

Some of the very first residents at Telford's state-of-the-art Millennium Community development - The Village in Ketley by Bryant Homes - have come all the way from a small village near Chernobyl.

Viktoria Tsikhanovich (30) plus husband Vladislav (36) and their two children Vlad (12) and Emil (5) have settled into their new two bedroom ‘eco' home very quickly and say that Ketley and Telford is all they could have hoped for and more.

Viktoria explains: "It's a lovely new area and we got a great price on the house, so we're very happy. My husband has got a good job at Link 51, I can do my job from home, plus the children really like their new school. We lived in Birmingham for a short while first, but couldn't settle, but now it's all turned out very well for us.

“Our new home is fantastic, it's very modern, was already decorated and is easy to maintain, and that's just what we like. Old houses are too much hard work and expensive to heat. It's a different culture back home as everyone wants to live in as modern a home as possible, but this one is much much better quality. The Bryant ladies have been very good to us, really helpful and patient, and that's why we bought from them in the end, they quickly made us feel at home. And the neighbours have also been very friendly and welcoming."

Sales manager Michelle Davies adds: "I think more than anything the Tsikhanovich family have got a much better quality of life here compared to their homeland and the fact that Telford as a new town is fresh and offers great potential going forward really appeals to them. They love what we're doing and creating at The Village and I think the opportunity to get in at the start of a new community, where everyone is finding their feet, has given them some common ground. "Chernobyl is obviously famous for its nuclear disaster in 1986, which is still having an impact today apparently, and it's certainly not lost on them that after that they are now living in one of the ‘greenest' and most progressive parts of the UK."

The Village is one of only seven Millennium communities in the UK designed to demonstrate very best practice in social and environmental sustainability. Every state-of-the-art green property has an EcoHomes ‘excellent' rating and this will reduce metered energy consumption and mains water consumption by 20%, plus improve on daylighting and noise proofing by 10%. And increased circulation areas created by roomier living spaces, high insulation levels and low energy heating systems all contribute to the homes being substantially friendly to the environment, and should see much reduced energy bills for residents.

The Village is also making a name for itself because residents are able to have their say on how the development is maintained through a pioneering community trust system, which places maintenance decisions in the hands of those who actually live there. There are even schemes in place at the development to encourage greener modes of transport.

Current availability includes one bedroom apartments with garage from only £89,995, two bedroom apartments with parking from just £99,995 and three bedroom homes with two parking spaces from £139,995. The architecturally stunning four/five bedroom, three storey semi detached Lilyhurst with garage and parking space (just like the state-of-the-art showhome) is now available from only £239,995.

Visit The Village on Holyhead Road between 10.00am and 5.00pm daily, or log on to Bryant.co.uk/thevillage.