Key workers get first pick of Malmesbury homes



Redrow's beautiful new Cowbridge Mill development has something for everyone, but those officially classified as key workers have the opportunity to purchase selected properties at 20% below market value.

Earlier this year, the annual Halifax Key Worker Housing Review revealed that five groups of public sector workers - nurses, police officers, paramedics, fire fighters and teachers - were unable to afford to buy a home in 70% of towns across Great Britain.

Those living in London and the South West were the worst hit, with all 32 London boroughs and 34 towns surveyed in the South West being out of the price reach of all key worker groups.

A total of 27 key worker apartments are included in the layout for Cowbridge Mill - on the site of a former World War II radar factory in Swindon Road, Malmesbury - and 20 of these are available in the first phase, for occupation during the first half of 2008.

Andrea Nippe, sales manager for Redrow Homes (South West), says: "These particular properties are aimed specifically at this group of essential workers who are struggling to get onto the property ladder across the UK.
"Provided they meet the relevant criteria - they will be able to purchase the apartments at a price that's 20% below the open market value."

To meet the criteria applicants must be a teacher, health worker, police officer, prison officer, probation officer, social worker, occupational therapist or educational psychologist, be in full time employment, and have been in their current role for a minimum of six months, work within a 20 mile radius of Cowbridge Mill and not own another property.

Prices for the one-bedroom key worker apartments start from just £143,995.

The key worker homes are being sold alongside a range of Redrow apartments and houses that are available to everyone. Initial prices for the open market properties are from £182,995 for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with open plan living and kitchen area plus parking space; up to £389,995 for a four-bedroom, three storey town house with en-suite to master bedroom and a family room as well as the first floor lounge.

The overall choice for home buyers at Cowbridge Mill will include apartments, semi-detached and detached houses, terraced homes and three-storey town houses, offering everything from one to five bedrooms.

Redrow's development of 143 properties will also feature some live-work units and forms part of a mixed-use project that will also include an office courtyard scheme by the Minton Group and the conversion of an 18th century mill into a restaurant.

For the moment, part of that mill building has been set aside for Redrow's newly opened marketing suite and is a place where would-be home owners can now view plans, computer generated images, a model and examples of kitchens, bathrooms and other fixtures and fittings that off-plan purchasers can choose for their new home.

Whatever their status, customers will be buying into an environment that's second to none. The homes will enjoy a beautiful location in a countryside setting, overlooking the River Avon, mill race and water meadows. A protected mature tree belt within the site is being retained and will create an attractive backdrop for the properties.

One of the oldest towns in England, Malmesbury itself is a beautiful place to live, variously called the 'Queen of hill top towns' and the 'jewel of North Wiltshire'. It boasts a wealth of 17th and 18th century buildings, many of which now accommodate a host of welcoming pubs and shops, and is famous for its seventh century abbey and gardens. The town has all of the local amenities people would expect, including a choice of good schools.

There's also an easy commute to the M4 for access to Swindon and Bristol, whilst Malmesbury is about halfway between the historic city of Bath and the capital of the Cotswolds, Cirencester.

For more information about the key worker and open market homes at Cowbridge Mill call 0845 676 0358, log on to www.redrow.co.uk/developments/view/171 or visit the new marketing suite, which is open daily from 10am to 5.30pm.

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