To relocate from a riverside town so picturesque it’s sometimes billed as “the Venice of the Cotswolds” demands a special destination.
Bourton-on-the-Water was where Brian (43) and Linda Robson-Burrell (44) arrived in 2012 after they uprooted from Bovey Tracey in Devon, the small town where they had brought up their now grown-up son and daughter.
But last year, just in time to celebrate Christmas, they moved the few miles to their new four-bedroom house at Victory Fields on the edge of Upper Rissington – and simultaneously became the 100th occupiers of the brand new development created by award-winning Linden Homes.
The change has worked perfectly for the couple: they now rent out their old three-bedroom semi-detached house in Bourton and have the space to work from home on their nutrition and health consultancy business.
Linda said: “I love the fact that we’re the 100th occupiers – that’s great! At Victory Fields it’s not just about houses; there’s going to be a whole new community as well as tennis courts, allotments, a country park and a new village centre. It’s like a bit of a new lifestyle for us.
“In Bovey Tracy it was fantastic to bring the children up in that kind of environment where people knew everyone and it was very friendly. That’s what’s nice here, and the fact that all the grounds will be taken care of. It’s really nice to be part of all that.”
Brian explained further: “We just wanted to be a little bit more rural from where we were. We were looking to find a bit of peace and quiet up here. This is a detached property with four bedrooms and we wanted a bit more space.
“I have always liked the idea of living on the top of a hill. The views from up here are absolutely fantastic – that’s one of the big attractions. It’s a bit quieter yet Bourton is only a little way down the road.”
Located by the village of Upper Rissington and almost equidistant between Cheltenham and Oxford, Victory Fields has developed on a former airbase of the RAF’s famous Red Arrows. On hand will be a village square, shop, proposed public house, gym, and green space dotted with play areas, wildlife ponds and tennis courts.
Main roads link to the motorway network giving access to the M40, the M4 and the M5. The nearest train station is at Kingham, from where services can reach London Paddington in about an hour and a half. The nearest international airports are Birmingham and Heathrow.
It’s cycling that excites Brian most, however, and he was delighted to find Victory Fields is close to a national cycle route. The house’s extra space also lets Linda devote a whole room to her love of craftwork.
The property was something they felt they had to grab, said Brian: “One of the main things for us was that to get a brand new four-bedroom detached home there were few options. Victory Fields is the only development going on in this area. We thought that if we did not take this opportunity we would lose it.
“We watched the development evolve over the first 12 months. As it began to evolve the aircraft hangers came down, the space opened up, the houses went up, and you could begin to see that it was going to be a fantastic development. That’s when we began to think this would be the place for us.”
Linda agreed: “We’re on the outer edge of the development so we look out on a view right across the hill. That’s why we jumped at this particular plot.”
Buyers have been looking to Linden Homes’ superior quality and all-inclusive value, including fully-fitted kitchens with ceramic floor tiling, bathrooms with contemporary sanitaryware and wall tiling, and communications connectivity for modern living.
Brian and Linda had no qualms about buying new. Brian said: “One of the great things about a brand new house is exactly that – everything is bang up to date and with handy features like the waste disposal in the kitchen, and all the lights are energy efficient.”
Linda summed it up: “It gives us what we want to live our lives.”
To find out more, call 0844 417 8520.
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For further information, contact Claire Oakley or Claire Cathersides at Remarkable Content on 01962 893893.
