Look to the future at Barratt’s Parkside

When John and Sarah Gardiner decided that it was time to think about starting a family, top of their list was finding a larger home and getting married. After recently returning from their honeymoon in The Maldives and moving into a smart new three-bedroom townhouse at Barratt Southern Counties Parkside development in Maidenbower, near Crawley, the couple’s plans for the future are going brilliantly.

John, a freelance builder, and Sarah, a marketing executive with a local dental company, previously lived in an apartment in Maidenbower and were keen to stay in the area. They spent many months looking for an older property but had been disappointed when several attempts to buy fell through. “We came across Parkside at just the right time,” says John, “With our wedding coming up, we were desperate not to get stuck in a chain and so we decided that a new home would be the best option. We loved the development and when Barratt told us about their ‘28 day exchange to completion’ scheme, we jumped at it.”

“The sales team at Barratt were brilliant,” adds Sarah, “Everyone was very friendly and as keen as we were to help us move quickly into our new home. And they even helped us to celebrate by providing champagne and snacks on the day we moved in.”

Parkside is part of a delightful development of apartments and houses on the edge of Crawley, just ten minutes from the town centre. The pretty surroundings appeal greatly to Sarah: “Our home is set on a lovely crescent, with an avenue of trees running in front of the homes and a mature landscaped area at the rear of the house. The homes are very well spaced out, so it feels private and not crowded, which is unusual for a new development,” she says.

As a professional builder, John is very impressed by the build quality and high specification of their home, which he regards as “excellent value for money. And as it’s a new home, the fact that I don’t have to do any building work is very appealing.” he jokes.

New homes are sometimes described as lacking in character, but this certainly isn’t the case with the homes at Parkside. John and Sarah describe their three-storey home as “quirky and fun”. The main living space is on the first floor, with a large open plan sitting/dining room and a roomy kitchen that opens on to a balcony overlooking the garden. “We’ve put a table and chairs on the balcony, so we can make the most of the good weather,” comments Sarah.

On the top floor are two generously sized bedrooms and two bathrooms, one en suite to the master bedroom. The third bedroom, on the ground floor, provides a flexible space that can be adapted for use as a study, play room or snug. The couple love having their own garage, which provides valuable storage space; increasingly hard to find in new developments.

Living at Parkside is very convenient; everything John and Sarah need is close at hand. John explains: “There are plenty of shops nearby and we both belong to Cannon’s gym, which is just a short drive away. It is around a ten minute to walk to Tilgate Park, which has cycle paths and a golf course.”

Even more facilities - including the large County Mall shopping centre, a host of cafes, restaurants and clubs, a multiplex cinema and the Hawth theatre – are all within very easy reach in Crawley.

John and Sarah both drive a great deal and, with the M23 motorway approximately five minutes’ drive away, find travelling by car very easy.

Barratt is currently offering three-bedroom houses priced from £294,950 and two-bedroom apartments priced from £219,995 for sale at Parkside. For more information visit the website on Barratthomes.co.uk.