Hollymead Square welcomes new family to their forever home
Frank and Caroline Young found their ideal family home at Hollymead Square in Newport, Essex, drawn by its prime location, excellent schools, and energy-efficient, family-friendly design.
Finding the Perfect Family Home
Frank and Caroline Young have found their ideal family home at Hollymead Square, a pioneering new development in a prime location. Located in Newport village, Essex, Hollymead Square was the perfect choice for the couple, as charity director Frank and teacher Caroline were drawn to the value for money they would receive alongside the great location for their son’s new school.
In addition, Frank grew up in Saffron Walden, which was one of the main reasons that they felt a strong and personal pull to relocate back to the area. Adding further confidence to their choice, The Sunday Times has just named the charming town as The Best Place to Live in the UK for 2025, which was the final distinction for their move.
Caroline explains: “We were living in Surrey previously, but we wanted to relocate to rural Essex, where Frank grew up. We found a great school in Cambridge for our son, James, so being close to Cambridge was a must. At the same time as we were looking to move to Essex, a teaching job came up at the same school. I was offered the job and it put more pressure on us to move quickly. Hill was brilliant and helped us to make the move quickly with very little hassle. Hollymead Square is an exciting new development in the perfect location. We visited the development and quickly secured a wonderful family home with a big garden.”
A Development Designed for Modern Living
The exclusive collection of detached homes features a range of diverse house types, from contemporary two-bedroom bungalows to spacious and light-filled two to five-bedroom houses. Beyond its prime location, which was perfect for Frank and Caroline’s commutes and James’ education, the property’s exceptional energy efficiency, which would effectively contribute to low running costs, was a key factor in the family’s decision.
Frank reveals: “Initially, we thought that a family home in this lovely setting might be beyond our budget, but when we looked at the figures in more depth, we realised what a difference the property’s energy efficiency level makes. Overall, the maths determined that purchasing this home would boast a huge, potential saving and this obviously factors into how much you can spend on a new house. It was a game-changer for us.”
The property also meets Frank and Caroline’s future needs. Caroline comments: “Having an electric car charging point is helpful. It’s considerably positioned too, so it will be easy to park in the driveway and plug in to charge. That’s something we’ll use when we look to replace our current car.”
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A Community Built Around Space and Belonging
Frank and Caroline also value the family-focused design of their home, which seamlessly extends to the entire development. The community exudes a sense of space, warmth, and belonging, with a selection of homes thoughtfully arranged around a charming central square.
Caroline comments: “The house we discovered here was just what we wanted in terms of its size and proportions. The bedrooms are a good size and the open plan kitchen, dining and living room setup is ideal for family life. It’s all very thoughtfully considered in terms of the layout and room sizes.”
Frank adds: “Hill hasn’t crammed homes into the development. I think if you went to a comparable development with another developer, you would find a lot more housing on the site, with as many properties as possible squeezed in. But here at Hollymead Square, you have this lovely sense of space and openness. It feels very peaceful, like it’s designed only for friendly, community living. James is excited for more children to move in as the development grows, and I think it will be a fantastic place for him to grow up.”
Exceptional Connectivity Without Compromise
What’s more, Frank now has an easy commute to London for meetings, with London reachable in an hour by train from Newport station. He splits his time between working from home, spending two to three days per week in London and occasionally using a co-working space in Cambridge, which is a 25-minute train journey from Newport. The superb location of this new neighbourhood makes travelling a breeze, and means Frank and Caroline have no need for the expense and hassle of owning a second car.
Caroline says: “Connectivity was a big factor for us. Frank goes into London regularly for work, so we wanted to be within walking distance of a train station – but when you look for properties within genuine walking distance of a station, you realise how few exist!”
Frank, Caroline and James are now enjoying their new home and are keen to discover more of Newport, Cambridge and the local area. Spending time together outdoors is also something the whole family enjoys, and the picturesque village setting certainly has much to offer in this respect.
“Hollymead Square has it all – our new home is perfect and it sits in the ideal location. The excellent sustainability credentials will also have a positive impact on our family life, and we feel very lucky to have found our home here.”
