Commendation for Best Retirement Development
FREEDOM CLOSE
The Courtyard, Spital Road, Maldon, Essex CM9 6DX
To be successful, retirement developments should be close to the shops and public transport, not tucked away in splendid isolation. This is one development that proves the point. Not only is The Courtyard a development of 14 two-bedroom homes in a conservation area in the pretty Essex town of Maldon, at the mouth of the River Blackwater, but it is literally just round the corner from the High Street, and there is a bus stop right outside in Spiatl Road.
In fact, the development captures the best of both worlds, for only two of its cottages and one of its apartments front onto Spital Road, the remaining ten cottages and one apartment facing onto a private drive off Spital Road. Every property has a garage, and every house has a garden.
The smallest two-bedroom apartment has its own front door and is to all intents and purposes a two-storey cottage like all the others, but it does not have a garden or a balcony. The largest apartment, which has its own front door on Spital Road, has very spacious accommodation arranged over three floors, with balconies to the principal bedroom on the first floorand to the living room on the top floor (which is above the smaller apartment).
A large triplex apartment in a retirement development? As Countryside Properties explains: "The Courtyard is a small development of cottages and apartments designed for the over-50s, but it is not what is usually accepted a typical retirement development. In fact, being retired is not a prerequisite of living at The Courtyard at all. It will simply be where like-minded people can truly enjoy a new age of freedom."
All residents must be aged 50 or over, but this "age-exclusive" requirement does not apply to the purchasers of the properties, which are being sold on 150-year leases at prices from £280,000 to £290,000. This enables residents to trade down, releasing equity from their existing homes, or for the lease to be bought by younger members of their family or by a family trust, which has benefits in terms of inheritance tax. Leases can be resold at any time.
There is a manager at The Courtyard to ensure that everything is looked after properly, including security, and a management company is responsible for all exterior painting and keeping the front gardens and communal spaces clean and tidy. All these management costs are met out of the set management charges payable by every resident. All other repairs and the maintenance of private back gardens are the responsibility of the residents.
The cottages and apartments are well designed, with kitchens fitted with AEG appliances and contemporary units, and bathrooms fitted with Philippe Starck sanitaryware. There is underfloor heating to the ground floor of the cottages and to the principal reception rooms of the apartments, with a real fireplace in the living room of the cottages.
All the first-floor rooms in the cottages have slimline radiators, as do the secondary rooms in the apartments - and every principal bedroom in the cottages and apartments has an ensuite bathroom and a walk-in dressing room. It is this level of spaciousness and comfort that earned The Courtyard its commendation.
Homebuilder: COUNTRYSIDE PROPERTIES PLC
Countryside House, The Drive, Brentwood, Essex CM133AT
Tel 01277 690660
Fax 01277 690651
Website: www.countryside-properties.com
Contact: Lisa Welton, Marketing Manager.
Email: lisa.welton@cpplc.com
Architects: IN-HOUSE (GROUP CHIEF ARCHITECT TRISHA GUPTA)
Contact: Nick Summers, Design Associate Director