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The first residents have settled into Highlands, the new award-winning, energy efficient development of over 60s apartments in Main Road, Gidea Park, Romford, and are already clicking. All are individuals and all have very different stories to tell. Ages range from around 60 years upwards, some are working while others are retirees, and all have made Highlands their home for different reasons.
For Maurice and Maureen Williams it was the fabulous range of amenities that Highlands offers and its location close to butchers, bakers and, importantly for them, doctors and a hospital. It was a medical condition that prompted their move from a flat in Upminster.
“We were very happy in our home but it was much too far from town and amenities like doctors, which for us was becoming a requirement,” explains Maureen, a retired primary school teacher, and Maurice, a pension manager in London University. “We both have a few medical problems and felt we needed to be closer to things.”
The couple, who have a grown-up daughter with a family of her own close to Gidea Park, spotted Highlands as it was being built and thought it would be ideal. They ventured back a few months later when it was possible to look inside, loved what they saw and decided to make it their home. “We didn’t hesitate,” says Maureen. “We looked around, loved it and was pleased to find there was a ground floor apartment with patio doors to the garden still available. We decided there and then it was for us.”
The couple moved to Highlands in September, in fact only the second to do so, and are delighted with their new lifestyle. They have a car which they park right outside Highlands in the private car park, but often prefer to walk to the shops or around the leafy avenues nearby for their health. “We like to keep active,” says Maureen.
There are buses that run along Main Road if the couple choose to go into Romford town centre or towns nearby like Upminster but prefer not to take their car. Gidea Park railway station is nearby too, which is good for the couple as they like to go further afield for days out. There are direct links from the station to London with such short journey times that a day out in the city is a viable option.
Maurice and Maureen have two bedrooms in their apartment, plus a lounge that looks out over the daffodil beds and lawns, and bathroom facilities that include an ensuite shower room to their master bedroom. They have a separate kitchen, which, like all the apartments at Highlands, is finished in a lovely wood finish that feels rather like peach skin to the touch. There’s a range of integrated Bosch appliances including a microwave oven, fridge, freezer and washer/dryer that made settling in a stress-free experience for the couple.
Highlands is all about living an independent lifestyle but with the added benefit of knowing that there are safety features, security and that someone is always around should assistance be needed. There’s a CCTV entryphone system and a careline facility, for example, plus a manager that looks after the day to day upkeep of the building and the garden. A residents’ lounge and library on the ground floor also means residents can enjoy each others company if they wish.
“The residents’ lounge is lovely,” says Maureen. “It is very inviting. I spend a lot of time in the lounge. I go in there every afternoon with my newspaper and stay to around 6pm. Sometimes other residents join me, but many are working people so often it is quiet and peaceful.” The residents hold regular coffee mornings in the lounge, and there are plans afoot for afternoon cream teas and special weekend gatherings too.
There are apartments still available at Highlands, a development that recently won a Daily Mail UK Property Award for its design and innovations. It comprises 23 one and two bedroom luxury retirement apartments within a building that was designed to the Code for Sustainable Homes standard. This means that Great Homes Limited, the company behind the project, incorporated integral systems that generate warmth and reduce water consumption, thereby aiding the environment and ensuring low overhead costs for residents. One of the systems is a series of solar cells on the roof that capture energy from the sun, providing power to the communal areas.
Living at Highlands is cost effective. In fact, making a comparison between living in a typical four bedroom family home in Gidea Park and a retirement apartment at Highlands with its energy efficient features works out to a saving of £2,482 in running costs per year. This figure is based on the average annual cost of living at Highlands which equates to £3,958, compared to £6,440 for a four bedroom house in the same area*. It includes lighting, heating, hot water and council tax, water and sewage charges, building insurance and maintenance costs. For more information on these savings contact Pam at Highlands on 01708 756968 Friday to Monday.
“We are so pleased we made the move to Highlands,” says Maureen. “We get on really well with everyone and are very happy. I think we made the right choice at our age.” For further information on the apartments still available at Highlands visit the show suite which is open every Friday to Monday from 10am to 5pm, contact sales agent Porter Glenny on 01708 756968 or visit Great Homes Limited’s website www.greathomes.co.uk. |
