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Fri, May 19th 2006, 11:00

Redrow caters for house hunters of all shapes and sizes but no-one was prepared for the feathered squatter that came to roost at the house builder’s Bassingham development.

The unlikely tenant was a dove that built its very own new home in the scaffolding around a property at the Chestnut Grange development in the Lincolnshire village of Bassingham. The dove had been busy building a nest and laying eggs as builders were oblivious to the feathered friend’s presence.

Jason Lewis, site manager at Chestnut Grange, said: “It wasn’t until scaffolding was being taken down around one of the houses that we found the nest. She must have built the nest and laid her eggs whilst work was underway – amazing really considering that it’s a busy building site and must have been quite noisy.” As soon as the nest was discovered, site manager Jason made phone calls to both the RSPCA and the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust to find out how best to deal with the unlikely squatter.

He continues: “We were told the best thing to do would be to just leave the nest well alone until the eggs had hatched and the chicks had flown the nest. The scaffolding around the rest of the building was taken down, but where the nest was became a ‘no-go’ area so the birds weren’t disturbed.

“The mother and baby doves flew the nest last weekend and now we’re concentrating on getting the house ready for its permanent residents.”

For home buyers looking to feather their own nests, Chestnut Grange comprises everything from two-bedroom attached houses, perfect for first-time buyers, to large and luxurious detached family-friendly homes.

These include the five-bedroom Wharfe, whose ground floor comprises a light and airy entrance hall, a kitchen with utility room, dining room, large lounge area and a cloakroom. On the first floor is the master bedroom equipped with an en-suite shower room and large walk-in-wardrobes. Two further bedrooms and a family bathroom are also on this floor. Upstairs again in the cleverly converted roof space are the two final bedrooms with an additional bathroom.

This lavish property also benefits from a detached garage and is priced from £349,950.

Bassingham is a typical rural village surrounded by beautiful pastoral countryside. The village benefits from all the basic amenities, such as a supermarket, post office and public houses. The city of Lincoln is only nine miles away and benefits from bustling high street shops, leisure facilities and a host of restaurants and bars.

The A46 and A1 are easily accessible from Bassingham, linking to Lincoln and Newark, Leicester, Nottingham and beyond. Swinderby railway station is only three miles away and provides a link with main line trains.

To find out how you can come home to roost at Chestnut Grange or for information on the range of properties available throughout the East Midlands call Redrow on 0845 676 0506.