An engaged couple has got a first foothold on the property ladder at Cameron Homes' Mapperley Meadows development in Nottingham, by opting for a 40-year mortgage.
Thirty-year-old Hayley Hannaford and her fiancé Alex Troke, age 32, had been renting a riverside apartment in West Bridgford for five years, while saving up for a deposit. They visited the new Cameron Homes development on the day it opened and then drove to two of the housebuilder’s sites elsewhere in the East Midlands to walk around their preferred house type – a detached three-bedroom Chapman.
The couple became the first to reserve at the £29m Mapperley Meadows development, which is located in one of Nottingham’s most desirable suburbs. Accessed off Mapperley Plains, the 57 traditionally styled three-, four-, and five-bedroom houses are within walking distance of the 580-acre Gedling Country Park and Woodthorpe Grange Park, as well as excellent schooling and the array of local amenities along Mapperley High Street.
Hayley Hannaford said: “We had dreamed of owning our own home with a private garden and driveway for a few years, but saving up for a deposit is not easy when monthly rent eats so much salary. We felt buying a new home would enable us to have control over our finances and benefit from low energy bills. In fact, the insulation and energy efficiency, together with the solar panels on the roof, means we’re only paying around £30 a month for electricity with Octopus.
“Our solar panels are registered with National Grid to make sure we benefit from the value of outgoing energy. During the summer, we think the cost of charging our Tesla should also be fully covered by the electricity generated by solar. This is such a great benefit of moving here, especially when we haven’t needed to make any compromises.”
Hayley works as a senior partnership manager, while Alex is a school inclusion manager and semi-pro football player, signed to nearby Carlton Town FC. Their three-bedroom Chapman home cost £395,000. The mortgage was arranged with West Bromwich Building Society, with a 10% deposit required. 5% was contributed by Cameron Homes, with the remaining £20,000 paid from savings.
Hayley continued: “We chose a 40-year mortgage, so that the monthly repayments were virtually the same as the £1,600 pcm we had been paying in rent. We signed up for a fixed rate for two years, knowing we could choose to reduce the term of the mortgage when our current deal ends, but for now it gives us the financial flex to save for our wedding and continue making our first house into a cosy home.
“The oak doors and oaty colour palette we’ve chosen have created the perfect neutral backdrop for the surrounding lush green countryside. Mapperley is such a beautiful village, giving us the balance of being close to family and friends, great places to eat out, a local farm shop, the Nuffield gym where we’re members, and country walks. We’re only four miles from Nottingham city centre, but the super views across the Plains from our bedroom window and the kitchen are actually spurring us on to get a dog.”
Mapperley Meadows is nearly 50% sold, ahead of the build schedule. Prices for the three- and four-bedroom detached family houses that are currently for sale range from £450,000 to £630,000, with tailored incentives available.
Hayley and Alex had the excitement of a site visit every month prior to moving in, to see the construction progress on their chosen plot. They made specification choices, ensuring the house was finished to their taste when the keys were handed over to them on moving day.
Cameron Homes has been constructing new homes across the Midlands for over 30 years. The five star HBF housebuilder has worked with Edward Thomas Interiors on the styling for the four-bedroom Kipling show home, which features on-trend brown and beige soft furnishings, complemented by glamorous dark-wood furniture and feature wall panelling.
The popular Planters Brookfields garden centre is next door to Mapperley Meadows, while the centrepiece of the development is a large area of public open space, creating a strong sense of place and providing habitats for local wildlife.
The bespoke-designed kitchens feature integrated Bosch or Electrolux appliances, with a choice of worktops. Bathrooms, en-suites and cloakrooms have contemporary white Ideal Standard sanitaryware, Aqualisa taps, and Porcelanosa floor and wall tiles. Each Cameron home is independently snagged prior to handover and protected by a 10-year NHBC Buildmark policy.
The Mapperley Plains location is on the sought-after northern edge of Nottingham. The new development is five miles from Nottingham train station, with a range of regular public transport options available. East Midlands Airport is under 20 miles away.
Established in 1994, Cameron Homes is currently delivering over 200 homes across 11 live developments and has a pipeline of future sites expected to deliver circa 1,000 new homes.
