For growing families, a shrinking selection

For growing families, a shrinking selection
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 01/05/2007



Everyone wants space to bring up the children, but suitable homes are becoming more and more scarce, writes Nicola Venning

In pictures: Properties fit for your family

With two boisterous children growing up all too fast, Claire Belch and her husband Campbell were keen to move to a spacious family home. However, with a budget of £380,000, they struggled to find anything suitable in London.


The right move: after finding that their budget would not stretch enough in London, Claire Belch and her family found their ideal home in the new town of Kings Hill, a former RAF airbase near West Malling
Campbell, 36, an accountant in Canary Wharf, and Claire, 38, a former stockbroker and now full-time mother, considered buying in Greenwich but were horrified by the prices. "It was so expensive," says Claire, "and I did not want to bring up two children in an apartment, particularly with the limited school options in some parts of London."

Confined flats without gardens are not ideal homes for young children and yet they made up 59 per cent of the new homes built in the UK last year, according to property website Smartnewhomes.com. And the situation is even worse in London.

"Young families are looking for more space, opting for the three-bed semi with a garden and a garage, but these types of properties are becoming scarce," says David Bexon, director of SmartNewHomes. Although Housing Minister Yvette Cooper recently announced a drive to tackle this shortage by building more family homes with access to playgrounds and gardens, affordability is the issue.

The average price of a detached home in London is more than £439,000 and rising, says London estate agency Haart. Research by Savills backs this up: in the last quarter, the price of houses increased by 34·2 per cent compared to 17·3 per cent for flats. A family home in one of London's "Nappy Valleys" such as prime areas of Wandsworth, Clapham or Richmond - popular, leafy suburbs with parks, transport and good schools - costs on average, closer to £1million for a detached three-bedroom property.

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Not surprisingly, young families are moving out. "There are more families moving into the South East, most from London," says Richard Donnell, of property researchers Hometrack. "However, the statistics do not show a big increase in family houses being built. Last year, 54 per cent of all homes being built in the South East were flats."

Claire and Campbell have found their ideal home in the new town of Kings Hill, a former RAF airbase near West Malling in Kent, which has parks and excellent schools nearby. Currently an hour's train journey to Victoria, the commute will improve dramatically when the nearby Channel Tunnel Rail Link's new station, Ebbsfleet International, opens to local passengers in 2009, cutting the journey time to Kings Cross to a remarkable 17 minutes.

The couple bought a five double bedroom house in the Willow Park development from Bellway Homes (0845 071 2094, www.bellway.co.uk) for £402,000. Three-bedroom homes in Willow Park start from £249,995. "We have a very good lifestyle here," says Claire, "and to buy something similar in Greenwich could easily cost twice as much."

Kent, and north Kent in particular, is set to benefit greatly from regeneration along the Thames Gateway as well as improved commuting offered by the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. Also, as one of the few counties which did not lose its grammar schools in the 1970s, it is particularly strong on both state and private schools. One of the most popular towns for young families is Tunbridge Wells. Croudace Homes (01883 346464, www.croudacehomes.co.uk) is selling four-bedroom townhouses in its Broadwood development, with prices from £349,950. The 45-minute train journey is to either Charing Cross, London Bridge or Cannon Street and the schools, which include two grammar schools, are excellent.

Meanwhile, Antler Homes (www.antlerhomes.co.uk) is selling houses in Bishop's Field, a new development 1·5 miles from the centre of Maidstone. On the same road as popular Westborough Junior School, they start from £235,000 for a three-bedroom terraced house. "Maidstone is undergoing regeneration and the population is anticipated to increase by 4 per cent in the next seven years," says Griff Marshalsay, managing director of Antler Homes.

Like Kent, Surrey has always been popular because of its proximity to the capital. But as the most expensive county in the UK, can you find an affordable family home? In Redhill, Bellway Homes is marketing four-bedroom houses in a development called Synergy at Park 25, from as little as £260,000. Trains to London Victoria or London Bridge take 33 minutes, and neighbouring Reigate has popular schools.

In Woking, which has excellent schools and is only 20 minutes from London's Waterloo Station, Linden Homes is marketing two- and three-bedroom homes in Fusion (01483 756178, www.lindenhomes.co.uk). Surrounded by open fields, three-bedroom houses start from £319,995.

Those looking for real value for money could consider Ipswich. True, the commute is an hour and a quarter to Liverpool Street station, but the town is undergoing a lot of redevelopment. Bellway Homes is selling four- and five-bedroom houses in Ravenswood from £260,000 and Crest Nicholson (0870 7551637, www.crestnicholson.com) has three- and four-bedroom homes in Blakenham Park from £168,500. While state secondary schools are average, according to Ofsted, there is a selection of good independents and some well-regarded primaries.

If you hate the idea of sitting on a train, then choose easily commutable Hertfordshire. In Hitchin, only 35 miles north of London, Bellway Homes is selling two- and three-bedroom mews cottages in Ransom's Yard from £245,000. Slightly further out, in Welwyn Garden City, Bloor Homes (www.bloorhomes.com) has three- and four-bedroom houses in its Bushey Leys development, with prices from £310,995. At a more manageable 40 minutes, the commute is short enough for working parents to be back home in time to read the bedtime story.