In November 2020, Samantha (29) and John (30) reserved their first home together at New Fields, our first community in Chichester, opting for a three-bedroom Letchworth.
Having moved from Kent to Hampshire amid the pandemic to be closer to family, where they have been renting, the couple decided they wanted to settle somewhere nearby. As keen paddleboarders and open water swimmers, the pair were also set on living somewhere close to the coast.
The new option to extend their commute time in light of increased flexible working meant the couple could choose a location which better suited their leisure pursuits, near to open water and beaches. The West Sussex cathedral city ticked all the boxes for easy access to London and an array of options for getting active outdoors.
John is an underwriter and will be commuting to the City of London part-time once his offices reopen. Previously his commute was 45-minutes from his home in Kent, whereas it will now double to approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. Meanwhile, Samantha is an interior designer and will be commuting part-time to her offices in Kent once able, with her commute increasing from 20 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes. The introduction of flexible working means the couple are happy to travel further to the office in exchange for living in a spacious home in their dream location.
Samantha explained: “Chichester seemed like the perfect place to settle. It’s a little further away from work than we ever intended to move but with the ability to work from home a few days a week, our longer commutes to London and Kent will be completely manageable.
“We’re looking forward to being close to lots of hiking routes, several pretty beaches such as West Wittering for open water swimming and Chichester Canal, the perfect spot for paddleboarding. We love water sports and being outdoors, a mentality which locals seem to share, so we instantly got a good feel about the area. The city itself is so historic and vibrant, full of independent cafes and restaurants, galleries and theatres. We’re due to move in in July which is perfect timing as hopefully everything will have opened up by then.”
Once fully complete, New Fields will be a thriving community located on the cusp of the city centre, a short walk to Chichester’s eclectic mix of shops, eateries and cultural assets. For those commuting or travelling to nearby cities, New Fields is ideally located, only a 10-minute walk from Chichester train station, with quick connections to Portsmouth, Brighton and Southampton. Direct trains are available to London Victoria, perfect for part-time commuters. Alternatively, the main south coast arterial route, the A27, passes close to the development, linking through to a number of motorways.
WFG (working from garden)
As a designer of retail and commercial spaces, Samantha has a clear vision for their working from home set up once they’re moved in this summer. Samantha explained: “We’ve been looking into purchasing a cabin for our garden and kitting it out as a home office. We’re keen to create an entirely separate space for working so that our home remains somewhere for relaxing and entertaining. Plus our garden is so big so there’s definitely enough space for one!”
Recent research carried out by YouGov on post-Covid consumer trends showed almost half (44%) of respondents in the South East view the ability to create a dedicated home-working space in their new home as ‘very useful’.
Buying off-plan
Samantha and John were the first customers to purchase a home at New Fields, buying off-plan. This meant the couple could customise their home through from the early build stages, selecting various upgrades and extras using our digital platform MyRedrow. Samantha said, “We loved using MyRedrow. As we purchased our home so early on, we essentially had the freedom to design each room, choosing different tiles and fixtures, building the colour schemes. We ended up upgrading our kitchen and purchasing a kitchen island which I am particularly excited to use!”
The Letchworth is a semi-detached, three-bedroom from our Heritage Collection, founded in the Arts & Crafts architectural movement, benefiting from traditional exterior features including a gable-ended roof, decorative diamond shaped-window and pretty brick detailing. Meanwhile, interiors are spacious and modern, with a large open-plan kitchen diner at the rear, opening out onto the garden through sweeping double-doors. A bright living room is situated to the front of the home, along with a separate cloakroom and utility room. Upstairs boasts three good-sized bedrooms, with an en-suite adjoining to the principal room, along with a separate family bathroom.
A range of three and four-bedroom homes are available at New Fields. The budding community marks the beginning of our plans to deliver much-needed, quality new homes across Chichester and West Sussex. The housebuilder also has proposals under consideration for 200 new homes for the second phase of the Westhampnett development, North East of Graylingwell Park and 1,500 new homes for the former Ford Airfield. The schemes follow Meadow Gardens and Windmill Views, two launched communities in Yapton and Barnham.
Prices start at £369,950 for a three-bedroom home at New Fields. To find out more or register your interest, please visit: www.redrow.co.uk/newfields or call 01243928549.
