The good life vs city fun - why not have both?

With the average house price in London now reaching £440,198 and with forecasts predicting that prices could rise by a fifth in the next five years commuters may be looking for a more affordable alternative in commuter towns outside of London. However, even from some ‘commuter towns’ such as Camberley, Peterborough and Rochester, the travelling time into Central London can take an hour or over.

Award-winning house builder Crest Nicholson has just the solution with its Ingress Park development in Greenhithe, where the commute into London from the nearby Ebbsfleet International station takes just 17 minutes while travel to Stratford and the Olympic Village takes just 11 minutes on the High Speed 1 link. The developer also has the solution for first time buyers, with the government backed HomeBuy Direct scheme, where purchasers can own their own one or two bedroom property for just 70% of the price.

HomeBuy Direct is designed to be a ‘stepping stone’ for home owners. Buyers are able to move into their brand new one or two bedroom home at Papermill Walk for just 70% of the property’s asking price - yet still own 100% of the property straightaway. An attractive one-bedroom apartment priced at £162,500 therefore, becomes a more affordable £113,750.

Ebbsfleet International Station is situated just ten minutes’ drive from the development and offers direct services to London St Pancras in just 17 minutes, proving that you don’t need to live in or even around Central London to get to work quickly. Popular London boroughs such as Putney, Earlsfield and Richmond have similar commuting times to central train stations, making Greenhithe even more appealing as there’s no need to pay the high prices of London properties to be close to the City.

Annette Cole, Sales and Marketing Director at Crest Nicholson Eastern, said: “Ingress Park is a fantastic development and for many young people who are looking to live in London but are concerned about the high cost of renting or buying in the city, it offers a less expensive alternative especially with the great HomeBuy Direct initiative. Ingress Park has always attracted commuters who are keen to make the most of the spectacular grounds at its riverside location, yet still be within easy reach of London.”

Ingress Park is set in 72 acres of mature grounds, with a regenerated riverside walk and heritage trail. Another unique feature is the grass amphitheatre, a focus for community events and summer picnics.

The latest phase at the development, Papermill Walk, offers properties to suit all types of homebuyer and comprises one and two-bedroom coach houses and apartments, three-bedroom cottages and four-bedroom detached family houses in a range of styles.

Papermill Walk will be the last small neighbourhood offering both houses and apartments to be built at Ingress Park and the design of this phase has been carefully created to offer a community way of life, including some desirable detached homes which are highly sought after in the area. Many of the properties on offer have a balcony or terrace for residents to enjoy the views either of the river or across the grounds and rooftops of Ingress Park.

For residents who want the variety of shops and leisure activities that London has to offer without having to travel into the big city are spoilt for choice by the nearby Bluewater shopping centre, which offers a range of high street and designer shops such as Calvin Klein and Hollister, and department stores including John Lewis, House of Fraser and Marks & Spencer. For those not interested in indulging in retail therapy Bluewater has a range of restaurants ranging in cuisine from Carluccios to Wagamamas, a cinema, adventure park and climbing wall.

Ingress Park is extremely well located. As well as Ebbsfleet International Station being only a 17 minute train journey away from London, nearby Greenhithe Station also provides fast and efficient services in to London Bridge (45 minutes), London Victoria (60-90 minutes), London Cannon Street (50 minutes), Waterloo East (43 minutes) and London Charing Cross (50 minutes). Residents can also benefit from being able to join the motorway network at Junction 1A of the M25 for easy connections to all major UK airports.

Prices at Papermill Walk start from £162,500 for a one bedroom apartment, £289,000 for a three bedroom house and £382,000 for a four bedroom house. For further information, visit crestnicholson.com.