Children growing up in the city are nearly four times lonelier than children who live in the countryside, according to the Office of National Statistics. Nearly a quarter of children who live in a city admitted to feeling lonely ‘often’ compared to just 5% of children in the countryside. Located in Cressing, Essex, a pretty village close to Braintree, is Bellway Homes’ development, Avondale.  This rural retreat is set amongst a tapestry of other Essex villages and hamlets and is a perfect set for family living.

This collection of 100 properties includes two, three and four-bedroom homes, all easy striking distance from Braintree, and less than thirty-minutes from the bustling centre of Chelmsford, whilst surrounded by beautiful, open countryside. The development will be perfect for growing families, first time buyers and professionals.

Kate Mills, Sales Manager for Bellway Essex comments: “Avondale is a perfect place to bring up children.  This part of Essex is blessed with wonderful Essex countryside and is still really easy for access to the bustling town centres of Braintree and Chelmsford.  Cressing itself offers a wealth of heritage and activities to entertain all ages, with a truly lovely village feel. We welcome potential buyers to come and see our show home for themselves and take a look at the area and all it has to offer.”

The Osborne is a three-bedroom home, with an open-plan kitchen, with integrated kitchen appliances combined with a dining area, a separate living room with a beautiful bay window and French doors leading into the rear garden.  The bathrooms are fitted with white Roca sanitary-ware, featuring in an en-suite to the bedroom, and a contemporary family bathroom.

Cressing and Braintree have ample opportunities to keep children and adults occupied.  Cressing has the Black Notley Community Centre which hosts an array of classes, open seven days a week, and a very popular open-air heated swimming pool which opens from May to October, perfect for summer holiday fun.

Two other leisure centres reside nearby, they offer hockey, rugby, football, athletics and tennis youth clubs between them. Great Notley Park also offers play-trails and sky ropes; an outdoor adventure for all ages. Cineworld and Namco Funscape venues are just three minutes away by car, or you can step back in time to visit Cressing Temple, home to one of the oldest timber barns in the country, with beautiful traditional Tudor pleasure gardens and a cosy tearoom.

Families are well served in Cressing with Cressing Primary and White Notley CE Primary School for 4-11-year olds, both rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted, and for older pupils there are multiple options with Notley High School, Braintree Sixth Form and the Alec Hunter Academy for Senior School close. For higher education, there is the Colchester Institute and Anglia Ruskin University, just a twenty-five-minute car journey.

Cressing has good transport links, with Cressing Station, just five minutes away from the development, providing frequent services to Braintree, Chelmsford and London Liverpool Street, the latter being reachable within fifty-five minutes, making it an excellent commuter location. Major roads are accessible from the development, with the A120 for Stansted Airport, Colchester and Harwich and the A12 for Chelmsford, the M3 and East London. For more local transport, buses have regular services to nearby towns and villages.

Prices start at £299,995 for a two-bedroom home to £524,995 for a four-bedroom home. For further information please visit www.bellway.co.uk or call 01376 529089.