Countryside – creating exceptional places

Character, quality, and community – the hallmarks of a Countryside development

Countryside Properties is a property developer with an exceptional reputation for delivering value and design. The company has a nearly 60-year history of developing successful and sustainable communities. From small stand-alone developments to new large-scale garden villages and regeneration projects. Though Countryside’s prime focus is on and the South East, it has some of the best development sites in the North of England, too.

A history of place creation

Countryside’s reputation is at least partly built on its ability to create a sense of place and community at strategic sites, such as Great Notley Garden Village in Braintree, Essex, to Wickhurst Green in Horsham, Sussex. Communities are built through master planning, incredible landscaping and infrastructure build, and attention to detail in every facet of community and every single home built.

The homes that Countryside builds range from starter homes to executive homes, and in locations as diverse as urban brownfield regeneration sites to sprawling rural landscapes. Every development is created with quality and character.

Passionate about placemaking

All Countryside homes carry a signature style and character. They are designed for modern lifestyles and built using quality materials. Developments are made to stand the test of time, on strategic land that provides residential-led mixed-use developments, supportive of creating a sense of place.

Notable projects include sites such as Horsted Park, where homes reflect the Kent farmstead feel, but with a contemporary twist. This scheme was one of only six nationwide to receive a RIBA Housing Design Award 2014 in the Completed Scheme category, and was named Housing Project of the Year 2013 by ‘Building’.

Another multi-award-winning Countryside development is found at Accordia, in Cambridgeshire. It was the first residential scheme to receive the prestigious architectural accolade, the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2008. Homes here were designed to bring the outside in and built using natural, traditional materials in a contemporary fashion. Terraces, balconies and courtyard gardens were provided at varying levels throughout the homes, blurring the conventional boundaries between outside and inside. Each home was designed to overlook a green space. Each space is linked to the next by a network of footpaths and cycleways. Low-key streets, home zones and subtle traffic-calming measures reduced the prominence of the car and created a safe 20-mph zone.

Partnering to create sustainable prosperity

Countryside’s track record includes successful partnerships with local authorities and housing associations, delivering almost 50 regeneration schemes over the last 30 years. Its methodology is to work closely with local authorities and residents from the earliest stage, thereby shaping social and community infrastructure needed today and prepared for the future.

Countryside is one of the country’s foremost property developers when it comes to ‘tenure blind’ developments – where it is impossible to distinguish between tenures of individual buildings or homes. The company is also highly experienced in estate regeneration, recreating places where people want to live.

Too many awards to name them!

Countryside has received more awards for housing design than any other housebuilder in the UK and has received more than 350 awards for design and sustainability. It is the only UK housebuilder to receive the RIBA Stirling Prize for a housing development. If we tried to name all the awards won by and presented to Countryside, you’d be here for the next week reading them!

Where can you invest in a Countryside property?

From incredible sites in Manchester and Liverpool to projects in London, Hampshire and Essex, and many places in between, you will find Countryside building on some of the best strategic land in England. While there are opportunities to invest in property on developments already underway, I thought I’d highlight a couple of Countryside sites that are in the earliest stages and coming soon.

Wren Green, Bamber Bridge, Preston

The three and four-bedroom homes that will be built here are designed for modern lifestyles. Bamber Bridge is a fantastic location, just four miles from Preston town centre and its excellent transport links. There is a good range of local amenities, including shops, banks, pubs and cafés, and three supermarkets within a mile. There are parks and green spaces nearby, and a high-quality leisure centre with a good pool and gym.

With nearby parks, leisure facilities and excellent schools, Wren Green is the perfect place for a growing family. And for those who relish in rural living, the Ribble Valley edges the development, offering endless walks and cycling, as well as quality fishing and other activities.

South Oxhey Central, Watford

A vibrant development in the South Oxhey suburb of Watford. Here investors can purchase one and two-bedroom apartments and two to four-bedroom houses. Homes that are ideal for first-time buyers through to families seeking a move out of the city.

The development is ideally placed for commuters, with easy access to Watford town centre. The nearby Carpenders Park railway station means commuters can be in London in less than an hour. There are several local shops near to the development for day-to-day needs, and three excellent primary schools within walking distance.

When an investor buys a Countryside property, they can be certain they are dealing with a property developer held in the highest regard by the industry and one that offers access to some of the best strategic locations in England.

Live with passion,

Brett Alegre-Wood