New Homes Round-Up: Scottish Borders

April 11 2012

With its breathtaking scenery, imposing views, rich history and strong sense of community spirit, the Scottish Borders is an enviable place to lay down roots or retire to.  The quaint villages and bustling towns that make up the area have a real rural feel and yet are within easy reach of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle.  At the moment, there is an excellent choice of new-build houses for sale in the region.

Close to Galashiels, Clovenfords village is home to Barratt Homes‘ Vinery Park development.  Only nine properties priced between £154,995 and £264,95 remain available at the site, in a choice of seven home styles.  The three- and four-bedroom properties include a kitchen/breakfasting room, dining area, en-suite, cloakroom, garage and private gardens.

The Croft Field from Cruden Homes

The 'Duncan' is the last remaining home at The Croft Field, now available for £238,500

The Croft Field in Denholm, which is situated between Hawick and Jedburgh, has proved to be massively popular to the extent that only one home is still for sale.  The four-bedroom ‘Duncan’ bungalow by Cruden Homes is currently on the market at £238,500 and boasts a kitchen/family area, formal lounge and separate dining room, utility room and a garage.  Integrated kitchen appliances, Porcelanosa tiling, fitted wardrobes and a turfed front garden are all included in the sale.

Featuring a collection of terraced and detached homes with a choice of two, three, or four bedrooms, the Kingsmeadow development by Taylor Wimpey is located in the outskirts of Peebles.  Whatever your situation, there is bound to be a new home to suit you here.  The two-bedroom terraced home with study/nursery is priced from £158,000 and is perfect for first-time buyers while the four-bedroom ‘Hazelwood’ detached family villa makes an excellent choice for  those moving up the property ladder.  Featuring a living room, dining room, garden room and en-suite facilities to two of the bedrooms, the ‘Hazelwood’ is priced from £367,250.

Persimmon Homes‘ Heath Grange development can be found in Chirnside village and comprises 54 family homes in a choice of six different styles.  Two-, three- and four-bedroom houses are available from £137,950 and benefits to these new homes in Scotland include a formal dining room, en-suite facilities to the master bedroom, a garage and French doors giving a fresh and airy feel to the living room and also providing access to the rear garden.

by Maria Brett

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Posted by mariabrett

Scottish Housing Minister Officially Opens Affordable Housing Scheme in Borders

August 23 2011

Housing associations, local authorities, developers and other interested parties had until Friday 19th August to let the Scottish Government know what they thought of the latest consultation paper on the way forward for the National Housing Trust (NHT). The deadline came in the same week Housing Minister Keith Brown officially opened Tweed Homes’ project for 51 new affordable homes in the Scottish Borders.

The 26 new homes in Galashiels and 25 in nearby Innerleithen will be let on short-assured tenancies for below-market rent. Within a decade they’ll be offered for sale with tenants given first refusal while the sale will pay for the cost of building the homes in the first place. The scheme is the first of its kind in the UK.

Keith Brown at Tweed Homes launch

Housing Minister Keith Brown launches the new affordable housing scheme from Tweed Homes in Galashiels

The first families are expected to move into the Galashiels homes in June 2012 while construction on the Innerleithen project begins in April 2012. Scottish Borders Council and six other local authorities agreed to take part in the scheme, administered by the National Housing Trust – an offshoot of the Scottish Government – which was set up in 2010 to ensure more affordable new homes were available to those on low incomes by offering low rents.

At the time it was also seen as an attempt to kick-start the beleaguered construction industry and safeguard employment for thousands of workers. The Tweed Homes project gave work to 200 in the industry.

At the opening Mr Brown praised the NHT for its “creative and innovative” approach which he said would “help address the demand for much needed affordable housing across the country.”

Borders Councillor Ron Smith meanwhile described it as “a blueprint that other authorities in Scotland will want to follow.”

Meanwhile, just 20 miles or so further north from Borders Council, the City of Edinburgh Council has asked the NHT for a loan to go ahead and build 600 affordable new homes in Scotland’s capital – which commands the highest rents in the country.

The same enthusiasm hasn’t been forthcoming there with homeless organisations claiming although the scheme helps, it does not go far enough. Shelter’s Gordon McRae said although cheaper than private renting the NHT initiative resulted in rents which were higher than a council or housing association home.

“Distinguishing what is meant by ‘socially-rented’ and ‘affordable’ houses matters – because the Scottish Government has recently started to suggest that they are the same – they are not. They fulfil very important but different needs,” he says, adding that NHT properties were 84 per cent of market value.

Scotland’s governing party, the Scottish National Party, promised 6,000 new social-rented houses a year as part of its election manifesto.

by Jill Stevenson

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Posted by Keith Osborne

Edinburgh Based Workers have the Pick of Commuter Towns

March 23 2011

According to the last census, around 85,000 people regularly commute from towns and villages around Edinburgh to work in the city. While many people love the convenience of living close to their workplace, for others new homes for sale in Edinburgh hold little appeal and it is preferable instead to find a property away from the hustle and bustle of city life and commute.

The reasons for this are numerous and include remaining close to family and friends, preferring to live in a rural area to raise children and enjoy the open air and the general belief that it is possible to get more for your money outwith a major city. Many new-build developments in areas such as Fife, Lothian and the Borders offer a chance to live away from the hectic city yet are within an hour’s drive of the Scottish capital.

Woodmill Gardens from Stewart Milne Homes

Woodmill Gardens in Dunfermline from Stewart Milne Homes comprises a range of property types, a perfect place from which to commute to Edinburgh in under an hour

Situated in Dunfermline, Woodmill Gardens offers a collection of two-bedroom apartments and three-, four- and five-bedroom detached houses. Its motorway and rail links to Edinburgh make the development a handy choice for commuters. Features on this Stewart Milne Homes scheme include utility rooms, French doors leading out into the rear garden, appealing bay windows in the living room and a master bedroom with en-suite facilities and a walk-in wardrobe. Just one house type remains for sale at this popular development, The ‘Newburgh’ four-bedroom detached villa design, which is priced at £235,000.

Only a handful properties remain available at the David Wilson Homes Barbachlaw development in Wallyford, Musselburgh. Priced from £249,995, the home styles here have been designed with family living in mind. Features on some of the last few properties include open-plan kitchen/breakfasting areas, utility rooms, studies, a dressing room to the master bedroom suite and a double garage. The coastal town provides a gorgeously scenic location to enjoy the weekend in yet still be close to the city for the Monday to Friday commute.

Forest Park from CALA Homes

Forest Park is an exclusive development of luxury homes in Peebles from CALA Homes, priced from £685,000

CALA Homes‘ Forest Park development in Peebles has a luxurious selection of four- and five-bedroom family homes on offer. Nestled in the Tweed Valley, the area has a peaceful feel to it and is renowned for the quality of its salmon fishing, yet it’s just around a 50 minute drive from Edinburgh’s city centre. The generously proportioned homes at Forest Park start from £685,000, with features including dressing rooms, en-suites, conservatories, landscaped gardens and spacious open-plan family living areas.

Barratt Homes has recently launched The Beeches in Kirkliston, a new development of three- to six- bedroom properties priced from £229,995. Among the range of house types on offer at the development, highlights include the open-plan living/dining area that is perfect for everyday family life and informal entertaining, en-suite facilities to the master bedroom, the luxury of a dressing room to some master bedroom suites and integral garages.

Miller Homes’ Liberty Park in Wester Inch at Bathgate forms part of a new village development situated on the outskirts of the historic market town. Prices at the scheme start at £117,995 for a two-bedroom apartment with parking space. A new primary school has recently been built for children living in the village,  and families moving to the area can make the most of the sense of community that is quickly developing. A 24-hour supermarket close by, as well as a railway station and nearby motorway links, make Wester Inch a great option for commuters with busy family lifestyles.

by Maria Brett

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Posted by mariabrett

New Build Developments in the Scottish Borders

February 16 2011

Edinburgh, Carlisle and Newcastle are all within easy reach of the Scottish Borders, so it comes as no surprise that both local and national housebuilders are providing a range of new property developments in the area, including new homes for sale in Kelso, Peebles and Jedburgh.

The Scottish Borders has seen a good deal of, often violent, history throughout the years but in the 21st century it’s a calm and tranquil place to live. Flowing through the centre of the region, The River Tweed accentuates the landscape of rolling hills towards the dramatic coastline, and forms the border with England for its final 20 miles or so to Berwick. Although the Borders spans a large area,  the towns and villages here possess a strong sense of community spirit and local festivals such as the annual Common Riding are popular with locals and tourists alike.

Forest Park from CALA Homes

The 'Wallace' 5-bed luxury home at Forest Park, £725,000 from CALA Homes

CALA Homes‘ Forest Park development at Peebles, set in the peaceful Tweed Valley, is designed for luxurious family living. Only two house types remain on available at this exclusive development and prices start from £685,000 for the ‘Stewart’, a detached home with five bedrooms (two with en-suite facilities and a dressing room to the master bedroom), study, open-plan kitchen/family room, formal dining room, living room and conservatory. The ‘Wallace’ house type at £725,000 also boasts five spacious bedrooms as well as an open-plan kitchen/breakfast/family area, a study with views across the gardens and a separate formal dining room. The conservatory to the rear can be accessed via both the breakfast area and the formal living room.

Built by M&J Ballantyne, the Bowmont Street development in Kelso comprises 37 two- and three-bedroom apartments and two three-bedroom townhouses. The site’s past provides inspiration for the development, with traditionally styled features such as arched windows, pitched roofs with lead-topped dormer projections, gable ends and chimneys adding to the building’s charm while the interior has a contemporary feel and is fitted to a modern specification. Prices at Bowmont Street start from £119,230.

The Croft Field from Cruden Homes

Bungalows at The Croft Field in Denholm start at £265,000, from Cruden homes

The Croft Field in Denholm features a collection of of four-bedroom bungalows and five-bedroom detached houses. Benefits the Cruden Homes development has to offer include built-in wardrobes, designer Porcelanosa tiling, integrated branded kitchen appliances, en-suites and double garages. Bungalows can be purchased from £265,000, while the houses are priced from £305,000.

Tweed Homes’ Orchard Cottages development has more bungalows for sale in the village of Sprouston near Kelso, with prices starting from £175,000.  With a choice of two- and three-bedroom homes on offer, the small development presents three home styles.  Integrated appliances to the deluxe standard fitted kitchens can be included and provisions have been put in place for potential attic conversions. Orchard Cottages is an ideal development for both families and those looking to downsize.

Situated on the edge of the historic town of Peebles, Taylor Wimpey’s Queens Gate development comprises a collection of two-bedroom terraced homes as well as three-and four-bedroom detached villas. The two-bedroom houses include a separate living room, private gardens, French doors and a study, while the detached homes offer a garage, utility room and en-suite facilities as well. Prices at Queens Gate start at £161,500.

by Maria Brett

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Posted by mariabrett

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