The perfect setting for a new family of three

The prospect of their first baby provided the ideal excuse for James Cartwright, aged 21, and Grania Edwards, aged 20, to set up home together. A brand new two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment at Barratt’s Bocking Mill, Braintree, emerged as the perfect location for them and new baby Harry, now nine weeks old.

Bought with the help of Barratt’s great deals for new buyers, the monthly cost is less than the couple paid previously in rent.

Both from the Braintree area, they wanted to stay local as all their friends and family – all potential babysitters - live nearby. They viewed a number of other local developments but it was Bocking Mill’s location that was the decider.

“It’s a lovely setting, with the church on one side and the river on the other”, says Grania, a supervisor at the local cinema. “It’s just a five minute drive to the town, but still very rural and pretty”.

Because it’s a brand new property, the couple can devote all their time to their new baby rather than having to refurbish or redecorate an older home.

“Everything is lovely and new at the moment, which is perfect”, says James, who’s an IT assistant. “And it’s a nice development right in the middle of where we wanted to be. It’s only a five-minute walk to the nearest school, which will be handy in the future”.

Buyers at Bocking Mill in Braintree can take advantage of helpful packages ranging from assistance with a deposit and Stamp Duty through to part-exchange, often with other incentives.

Rebecca Littler, sales and marketing director of Barratt Eastern Counties, said: “Very often, it is the help we can give with a deposit or Stamp Duty, with discounts, part exchange and a whole raft of other benefits that make the difference between people being able to buy and not being able to buy.”

Bocking Mill is located in a picturesque setting with lovely surrounding countryside and the River Pant running through the heart of the development. The market town of Braintree is a short drive away and it has a good range of high street and independent shops, and plenty of coffee shops, bars and restaurants. Nearby is Freeport Designer Village, one of the UK’s largest outlet shopping centres, which has over 85 stores, a 12-screen cinema, bowling, go-karting, nightclubs and restaurants. There is also a good selection of schools, which appeals to parents.

Braintree’s situation for travel is excellent. The A120 provides a direct link to Bishop’s Stortford and the M11 and joins the A12 which connects the major town centres of Ipswich, Colchester and Chelmsford. Braintree is only 10 miles from Chelmsford and 15 miles from Colchester. Stansted airport is approximately 13 miles away. For rail travel, Braintree station has a regular service to London’s Liverpool Street taking around one hour.

Prices at the development currently start from £137,995 for a two-bedroom apartment and £349,995 for a four-bedroom house with an annexe.

For more information, visit barratthomes.co.uk.