Peter and Angela McCrann are enjoying the quiet life after moving to a new Bovis Homes at Osprey Rise in Peters Village, Kent.
The couple decided to sell their three-bedroom house in Beckenham, in Greater London, and buy a four-bedroom Aspen house at Osprey Rise after their grown-up children left home.
“Beckenham is a nice but very busy place and we decided that as the children had grown up and left home, we wanted to move house for a gentler and slower pace of life,” said Peter, a 50-year-old retail controller.
“At our old house, we used to have emergency vehicle sirens going off all night and people shouting but now we can go for a stroll, sit on a bench on a hill near a church, listen to the birds and watch the sunset. It is something we had never done before but we absolutely love it.”
Peter and Angela put their old house on the market after their daughter Ella announced her plans to move out in July 2022. Her brother Jake, 25, flew the nest four years ago.
“Our plan was to leave the hustle and bustle of Greater London behind and to have a more relaxed and chilled way of life,” said Angela, 52. “We know Kent quite well and so we chose the area round West Malling and Wouldham as the ideal place for us to move to as we did not want to be too far from Jake in Croydon and Ella in West Wickham.
“We drove out there a few times and one day came across Osprey Rise at Peters Village and really liked what we saw. We like the fact that the development is new and is situated right next to the River Medway, with its own purpose-built bridge into the site.
“We definitely wanted a new-build home because our old house was built in the 1930s and there seemed to always be some DIY or fixing that needed doing. It was getting to the time when windows might need replacing so we wanted to leave behind that stress, worry and expense.
“The Aspen style of house ticked all the boxes. It has four bedrooms, so we have a couple spare for when our children or friends want to stay over, and all the extra space we wanted.”
The couple, along with their five-year-old Yorkshire Terrier called Bear, moved into their new home in December 2022.
“I love the huge kitchen/dining area which spans the whole of the back of the house,” said Angela. “The room is south-facing so gets the sun all day long and when we open the bi-fold doors into the back garden it creates a massive space where everyone can get together.
“The utility room, which is combined with the downstairs cloakroom, is incredibly convenient and helps to keep the kitchen/diner immaculate and looking like the perfect entertaining space. There is also a living room and a separate study which Peter sometimes uses as an office when he has to work from home.”
The couple said they are delighted not only with their new home but with the customer service they received from the Bovis Homes team on their house-buying journey.
“Agata, the sales advisor, was brilliant,” said Angela. “She was very welcoming from the start and helped take the stress out of the whole process. The site manager Nick and his team were great and even now knock on the door to ask if we need any help with anything. It’s very reassuring.”
Angela and Peter are busy enjoying their new lifestyle which embraces the great outdoors.
“I have recently bought a mountain bike and love riding down by the river and into the nearby countryside,” said Peter. “I go out on the bike two or three times a week and can’t wait until summer comes along with the lovely weather and longer nights. Bear loves going out for walk so we often go out and stroll along the country paths nearby.
“One of the most important considerations for us was to have a good country pub nearby and we have hit the jackpot here. We have discovered The Medway Inn in Wouldham which is a fabulous pub with good food, great beer, an open fire for winter and a beer garden for the summer.
“We feel lucky to have found a wonderful house on a lovely development right by the river in a picturesque village. Our new village life is everything we could have hoped for, and more.”
There is currently a choice of three and four-bedroom homes available to reserve with prices starting at £459,995 and £524,995 respectively.
