First time buyers are first in at Fifth Avenue in Harlow

Kit Fung and Nicola Stonehouse are the first residents to move in at Barratt’s Fifth Avenue development in Harlow. The couple chose to take their first steps onto the property ladder at the £100 million scheme, which is playing a major part in the regeneration of the town.

Chris Scarborough, sales director for Barratt North London, says: “We are delighted to be celebrating this important moment in the evolution of Fifth Avenue and are particularly pleased that the first residents to move in are first time buyers. We have designed the development to appeal to a wide section of the community, from single professional people right through to large families; providing homes to suit a variety of lifestyles and budgets and addressing the strong demand for new homes in the town. We wish Kit and Nicola every happiness for the future.”

The impressive scheme is located on a 27 acre site off Fifth Avenue, near the main A414, half a mile from Harlow railway station. Barratt has planning consent to build 530 homes, including 159 affordable homes, and has detailed plans for the first two phases: a range of one and two bedroom apartments and two, three and four bedroom houses. The development will also include Barratt’s famous I-Pad apartments which, at just under 400 square feet are designed to bridge the affordability gap for the increasing numbers of first time buyers.

Nicola says: “Kit went to the launch of Fifth Avenue in January; at that time he was searching for an apartment or house for a member of his family. We were buying a flat in Walthamstow so didn’t consider Fifth Avenue for ourselves. However we received bad news as a result of they survey and realised the work that needed to be done was too much and too expensive. Neither of us likes DIY and sadly the sale fell through. We decided to take another look at Fifth Avenue, remembering how impressed Kit had been at the launch.”

Nicola, who previously lived in East Dulwich, and Kit, who already lived in Old Harlow, purchased a two bedroom house at Fifth Avenue and moved in at the beginning of July. They say having their own space is wonderful, Nicola adds: “It is great not having to house-share anymore, I was constantly cleaning up other people’s mess. Now we have our own home, where we can entertain in comfort. We love hosting dinners and when the weather is fine we can open the French doors and enjoy the garden. Barratts’ sales team and customer service we have received since we have moved in have been very good; they have done much more than we expected. We like the open spaces within the development and the trees that line Fifth Avenue. We also love Harlow as there are plenty of green spaces where you can walk without being bothered by cars and public transport.”

Kit works in finance and at times is required to travel into London, while Nicola, who is based at home is an opera singer and works in a variety of locations. The proximity of Harlow train station made Fifth Avenue the ideal choice for the couple. Nicola says: “The train provides easy access to London and to Stanstead Airport, but if we want to avoid the expense of the train, we get a bus to Epping tube station, which is around 30 minutes away. The M11 and M25 are also nearby. Everything is very convenient, with the town centre approximately a five-minute walk away; we’ve even got a Sainsbury’s just up the road.”

The couple has already had a stream of visitors who all like their new home; some of their friends are now thinking of buying a property in the next phase at Fifth Avenue.

Prices for homes currently available at Fifth Avenue start from £160,000 for a one-bedroom apartment, £224,000 for a two bedroom apartment and £275,000 for a three bedroom house. The sales & marketing suite and showhomes are open seven days a week, 10am to 6pm.

Information on all Barratt developments is available at Barratthomes.co.uk.