Essex family relocate 40 miles to find their countryside haven
The Paddocks in Cressing benefits from great open space and convenient transport connections
08 May 2024

Nestled in a quiet residential area, The Paddocks by Countryside Homes is a peaceful haven surrounded by greenery, away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Situated in Cressing, three miles from the larger Essex town of Braintree, it was the appeal of a slower pace of life that first attracted Joanne Coyte (52) and her family to relocate and purchase a four-bedroom home at the development last year.

Before discovering The Paddocks, Joanne lived with her husband, son (21) and daughter (18) 40 miles away from Cressing in Grays. She comments: “We’d been looking to move away from London for a long time. In our previous home, we were located right on top of the M25 and A13, and it was getting to be a really hectic place with people moving out of Central London to the area. We wanted to get away from this noisy, fast-paced lifestyle, but there was so much we had to consider. We didn’t want to isolate our children from their friends and their life in Grays, so we waited until they had both finished college and could drive before we began our search for a new home.”

She continues: “A rural location was one of my top priorities when looking for our new home, and The Paddocks ticked this box and more. The decision was between two new build properties, but as soon as I walked into the house at The Paddocks I instantly fell in love with it. I loved the garden in particular – it is southerly facing so it gets the most sun throughout the day, and it is perfect for our Cocker Spaniel!”

“Our property in Grays was struggling to sell, but when we found the property at The Paddocks we had to make a decision so that we didn’t lose it. We knew we would get a better quality of life in Cressing, so we took a leap of faith and decided to rent out our home in Grays for the time being.”

Cressing is a small village situated between the larger towns of Braintree and Witham, surrounded by the Essex countryside, with plenty of country walks on the doorstep. Joanne comments: “I just love living in a more rural location. The area is perfect for our dog; there’s so many fields to take him for walks, he’s in his element - I don’t think he’d let us move anywhere else now! When the development is finished there’s going to be a little park, which will be handy for a quick walk for him too.”

Joanne is a hybrid Executive Assistant in the city, and commutes into London three times a week. She comments: “When I commute into the office, it’s around a 15 minute walk to the station, and it takes under an hour to get into Liverpool Street. I use my extra time on the train to catch up on Netflix so it doesn’t bother me at all! We’re really close to the train station so I can walk, which I really enjoy.”

Joanne continues: “There’s so much we’re looking forward to as a family now we’re moved in. I can’t wait for the summer to spend a lot of time out in the garden. At the moment it’s just a turfed blank canvas, so I’m looking forward to making that a really special place for us to spend time together as a family.”

Speaking of buying through Countryside Homes, Joanne says: “I’d heard of Countryside Homes before as they have lots of developments around Essex, and I’m really pleased we chose to buy with them. The process was brilliant, straightforward and I had no problems at all. The sales team made the process as smooth-sailing as possible and were really helpful; any questions I had were answered straight away. I’d definitely recommend buying a Countryside Homes property to anyone in the market for a beautiful new home.”

For further details, visit thepaddocks.homes


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