Anyone with any experience of Wichelstowe, Swindon?

Daniyella

We are considering buying on this estate but we keep hearing good and bad reviews, the estate once completed will be 4500 houses and set over 3 parts with 3 schools a district centre etc its due to be completed in 2020, anyone have any info etc?

Callie22

Is there anything specific you need to know? I don't live in Wichelstowe itself but I do know Swindon. Can't say I've heard a great deal about the development, beyond the fact that it's built on the floodplains so there has been some concern about that. It's very close to the southern edge of town so you've got fairly good links into the town centre, and you're close to the A419 if you want to go north, or the M4 if you want to get to Bristol or Reading.

In terms of the area there hasn't been a lot of news about it, although there was something in the local papers this week announcing that Waitrose have signed up to the the main store in the district centre. Depending on your feelings, that's either a brilliant thing or a terrible one lol.

Thrugelmir

Very close to motorway. As said before also sited on floodplain.

Any particular reason for choosing this part of Swindon.

Older built houses (30's) have good sized gardens and many roads are quiet back waters.

Furts

I do not know this development so can only comment on developers typical strategies.

The aim is always to build as fast as reasonable/ practical and leave infrastructure such as schools, shops, pubs, libraries, community centres etc until as late as they can. Even items such as open spaces, verges, landscaping, street lights, manhole cover in roads, finishing roads etc will tend to be left as late as possible.

There are technical. legal, political and financial reasons why this occurs. I will not bore you with the reasons.

Basically if you move in now you may not see the shops, schools etc until 2020. You need to do your own research via the local authority or your solicitor to establish exact dates - but these will not be guaranteed any more than the completion date of 2020.

In truth, you are considering a risky proposition. if you are thinking of new build utopia.

Daniyella

I live not a million miles away from Wichelstowe at the moment so I know the area and apparently there is a 1000 year flood free guarantee put in place.

What I was wondering was that I've been told that its quite rough down there and the sales rep says its between 25-30% affordable housing but having driven around the estate it looks nice with most the cars being new BMW's, Audi's, Mini's etc so I don't know what to believe, we are looking to buy on the new build scheme due to only having a small deposit.

timbo58

I don't think I personally would buy on a new estate (again).
Swindon has a lot of social housing needs, and when I bought locally many years ago the housing association were buying every other house for their stock.
Some HA tenants were fine, some weren't.

Daniyella

I just don't know what to do, I work in Bristol my partner works all over but mainly in London, house prices are too high in Berkshire and too far from work for him to travel in his work van his boss won't let him drive any further! I'm originally from Cheshire and moved down here about 6 years ago, I have lived in this house 2.5 years and don't want to pay his mortgage much longer I've already paid £25k in rent payments!

timbo58

There are plenty of good areas in Swindon and some of the villages are really nice too?

Daniyella

I know I live in Foxhill which is between Wanborough, Baydon, Liddington and Hinton Parva it's a beautiful area but but our landlord is selling our house this year and with a little one i dont want to move twice and unless we have a £20k deposit we can only buy on the new buy scheme (with 5% deposit) we are just about managing to scrape together the deposit and the fees

mrsrainman

Furts wrote: »

I do not know this development so can only comment on developers typical strategies.

The aim is always to build as fast as reasonable/ practical and leave infrastructure such as schools, shops, pubs, libraries, community centres etc until as late as they can. Even items such as open spaces, verges, landscaping, street lights, manhole cover in roads, finishing roads etc will tend to be left as late as possible.

There are technical. legal, political and financial reasons why this occurs. I will not bore you with the reasons.

Basically if you move in now you may not see the shops, schools etc until 2020. You need to do your own research via the local authority or your solicitor to establish exact dates - but these will not be guaranteed any more than the completion date of 2020.

In truth, you are considering a risky proposition. if you are thinking of new build utopia.

I wouldn't even expect them to be built by 2020. I rent in Priory Vale (another new estate in Swindon) When I moved in in 2006 the letting agent said the building work would be finished in a couple of years. It's still being built.
More and more homes were put over to social housing
Facilities and infrastructure haven't been built as promised.

Yes, Wichalstowe looks very nice when driven past (which I do regularly) but I would be nervous of how it would develop, especially if you have a little one.

What about a new build in a more established area rather than a completely new estate. Wootton Bassett maybe?

MrsR xx

Daniyella

Hi MrsR, I wouldn't mind Wooton Bassett but they don't have New Buy scheme houses or they are more expensive, I think it could be a bit far for my other half to drive aswell, the shops not being built wouldn't bother me as I shop at Sainsburys anyway the school is built and ready, that looks nice!