The management however has a lot of work to do to improve their image and services. It sometimes takes weeks before you get a reply from the estate manager. The property management tends to send letters that aren’t relevant to all property owners which causes a lot of confusion.
The service charges are ridiculously high and goes up every year. A recent increase is at over 30%. This is not sustainable. We would be paying more service charge than mortgage soon!
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
What shops/restaurants/bars? There are none on the estate when we were promised they would be built by 2019.
Parking seems to be an issue in phase 1 where there are too many apartments with too few allocated parking spaces. Parking in phase 2 and further is much better with 2 allocated spaces per house.
It’s really nice to have allotments and raised beds nicely designed and close to the houses but the fencing was recently stolen despite security bolts holding them down. Some cars have also been broken into in the previous years and walls vandalised so security could be improved.
There is a bus that goes through the estate with a very friendly driver. It might be better if people could pay with a card or something convenient instead of the only and very antiquated way of cash/coins to driver to purchase a physical ticket. That might encourage more people to take the bus.
Most drivers slow down in the estate but some drive recklessly past the school and where kids are playing. We need more road safety signage. There should be a priority for cyclists all along the roads in the estate and clear signs to let drivers know that this is an eco estate. We prefer bikes and walking to cars and speeding.
The 1st play park was beautifully designed but not with children in mind so it ended up being huge and great to look at but nearly useless for kids who are surely the most important park customers. The later parks had more sense and incorporated familiar elements such as slides and swings which are now the kids’ favourites’
One commendable element is the design of green spaces, wide walkways and wheelchair friendly accessible areas throughout the estate. Much more so than any other new build estates we have seen and we’ve seen a lot in many parts of the country. The challenge however is to stop drivers from parking their cars illegally on drop curbs, roadsides and pedestrian pathways, blocking the intended wheelchair access!
Despite being mis-sold on the savings we’ll make living on an eco estate, which is next to nothing (higher heating bills, ever increasing service charges), the best part of this estate is the incredible community. Everyone you meet here is very friendly, genuine and more than you can ask for in a neighbour.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
The ever rising service charge and the fact that there isn’t really any savings on heating bills.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
They managed to resolve all snagging issues, some several times over until it was fully satisfactory so no complaints there.
