Moving up at Fortuna Park

A three story, four-bedroom townhouse is not the typical purchase for a first time buyer, but for Catherine Byrne, 39, just such a property proved perfect to accommodate her new family. Catherine, together with her partner, has recently bought her first property at Countryside Properties and Annington Homes new development, Fortuna Park, in Colchester.

Catherine comments: "Being a first time buyer myself I was a bit worried about finally taking the plunge but the whole process was extremely easy and the sales consultants were very helpful. It's great to finally own my own home and we can't wait to move in a couple of month's time. Pooling resources with my partner means that I have been able to buy a spacious, four-bedroom house, which I could otherwise not have afforded on my own.

"My partner and I needed to move from our respective homes to a property with more bedrooms, as I have a 14 year son and my partner has two children who stay with us every other weekend. We were specifically looking in the South West area of Colchester so that we could be close to work and the children's schools. We also had a very specific checklist of things we wanted in our new house, like a garage or carport, a utility room and at least one, preferably two en-suite bathrooms. The house we bought at Fortuna Park was the only one we looked at that ticked all our boxes. The house has three floors and, with three growing children, it means that everyone has plenty of privacy which makes for a more peaceful household."

Fortuna Park is a visually striking development of one, two, three, and four bedroom houses in a variety of styles, each of which takes inspiration from the local architectural vernacular. Set along quiet cul-de-sacs, exteriors feature red and yellow brickwork, oatmeal coloured render, weatherboarding and pitched gables. All properties include a garage, carport or allocated parking space.

The interiors at Fortuna Park have been designed to a highly, contemporary specification, with stylish features such as stainless steel kitchen appliances and sleek contemporary bathrooms. The properties offer comfortable open plan living spaces with modern amenities and have been designed to enhance the surrounding natural and built environment.

Colchester is Britain's oldest recorded town with a history dating back to Roman Times. The town offers a diverse range of high street and boutique shops as well as lively bars and restaurants. Ideally placed for commuters, travel times from Colchester are approximately 22* minutes to Ipswich and Chelmsford and 55* minutes to London Liverpool Street by train. The A12 and M25 are also easily accessible, providing fast links to Chelmsford, Braintree and Ipswich.

Fortuna Park is currently offering a five per cent of your deposit paid and Countryside Properties part exchange scheme**.

Prices are currently from £112,000 to £220,000. For further information visit Fortunapark.net.

* www.thetrainline.com

** Subject to terms and conditions