Three’s definitely not a crowd for a trio of first time buyers who work together in the same Telford office and within weeks of each other all bought a new home on the same Ketley development!
Russell Lawrence, Hugh Jones and Helen Trowmans all work for AdminRe (formally Windsor Life Assurance) on Ironmasters Way, plus they’ve simultaneously got onto the property ladder at Telford’s eco-friendly Millennium Village by Bryant Homes – with Russell and Helen next door to each other and Hugh directly opposite.
It all began when Helen, who hails locally from Malinslee, decided to take the plunge with her partner and buy a two bedroom apartment with feature balcony at The Village. She knew that Russell was looking to move from Broseley, near Ironbridge, into Telford itself and thought the contemporary architectural style and design would also appeal to him.
Russell explains: “I fell in love with both the apartment and development layout straight away and knew I had found my new home. I think Helen was afraid I might have to gazump her at one stage, but then the apartment next door became available and I immediately snapped it up just a week after Helen bought hers. We get on very well at work, so having Helen as my neighbour is an extra bonus really. We have adjoining balconies and while the other residents have been very welcoming it’s nice to have a familiar face on the other side - although we make a point of not talking about work. I already feel right at home here, plus the build quality and finish is top draw and the architectural style is very striking.
“Hugh (who hails from Longden, near Shrewsbury) heard me and Helen comparing notes so often it got him intrigued too – and before we knew it he had snapped up a two bedroom home directly opposite. If any more people from work follow suit they’ll have to rename the street AdminRe Road. We all like being part of an exciting new community that’s leading the way in the eco stakes, because the green initiatives here seem to have struck a chord with all our neighbours and apart from saving on our fuel bills we all feel we’re doing our little bit for the environment.”
The Village is selling consistently well, despite the credit crunch, and it’s in no small part due to the fact that it’s one of only seven UK Millennium communities designed to demonstrate very best practice in social and environmental sustainability. Every property at The Village has an EcoHomes ‘excellent’ rating and this reduces metered energy consumption and mains water consumption by 20%. And increased circulation areas created by roomier living spaces, high insulation levels and low energy heating systems all contribute to the homes being substantially friendly to the environment, and should see further reduced living costs.
The Village is also making a name for itself because residents are able to have their say on how the development is maintained through a pioneering community trust system, which places maintenance decisions in the hands of those who actually live there. There are even schemes in place at the development to encourage greener modes of transport.
See Also: Property News (6680), Ketley (1), Telford (52), Russell Lawrence (1), Hugh Jones (1), Helen Trowmans (1), AdminRe (1), Windsor Life Assurance (1), Ironmasters Way (1), Millennium Village (1), Bryant Homes (60), The Village (1), Broseley (1), Longden (1), Shrewsbury (6), EcoHomes (2)
Date Published: 17 November 2009
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