Village atmosphere with commuter links

Posted 02/09/2019

Finding a home that offers peace, tranquillity and privacy but still allows for an easy commute into the city sounded like an impossible dream for Farhan Riaz and his family until an online search led him to Parva Green, Broomfield Village just outside Chelmsford. 

Chartered accountant Farhan loved the idea of his almost three-year-old daughter growing up in a village location but didn’t want to add to an already long working day as he explains. 

“I have a young child and a very busy working life and didn’t want to increase an already long day by a lengthy commute. When I found Parva Green, one of the things that really appealed was just how close it was to the town. It is very secluded and the only traffic is from people who live here but it is also very accessible into Chelmsford. 

“There are lots of busses into the town taking between six to eight minutes and then I can get a train direct to Liverpool Street station in about 35 minutes. So from door to door, I can be at my desk in just under an hour. If you move deeper into Essex, this commute would significantly increase.”   

In fact, Farhan really dug deep and found that many other developments that were situated just a little further away, were not as well served by public transport as Parva Green. “If you missed the bus, you could potentially be adding another 45 minutes to your journey to wait for the next one,” he adds. 

Farhan and his wife bought a four-bedroom, semi-detached property at Parva Green, a small boutique development of three and four-bedroom houses in Broomfield Village, just outside Chelmsford. Built by local housebuilder Higgins Homes, the development ticked many boxes including an easy commute into work, a good-size garden and drive and good local schools. 

“The house is over three floors and the rooms are all very spacious,” adds Farhan. “I use one of the bedrooms for a home office, which is ideal because I often work from home so it is great to finally have a dedicated area. There’s also lots of space downstairs, which is something that was really important to us. We are able to have a good-sized dining table, which means we can start entertaining more at home and when the weather is good, there is a large garden and patio area so we can have some comfortable outside furniture for al fresco dining.” 

The smart and contemporary specification features luxury brand names such as fitted kitchens by Commodore Kitchens, a range of appliances by Smeg and contemporary sanitaryware by Ideal Standard.

Another important consideration for the family was parking and Farhan was pleased to find out that he had reserved car parking space for himself and a guest. “We have a really spacious plot and I feel the layout of the home will adapt and grow to suit our family’s needs.” 

This quiet and attractive neighbourhood has a good selection of quality restaurants and pubs in Broomfield as well as many unique boutiques, high street stores, creative spaces and Britain’s newest racecourse just a short journey to the city of Chelmsford.

“There’s lots of very good schools in the area, including some of the top schools in the UK but for now, we are very happy that there are some great nurseries just a short walk away, which my daughter will go to shortly,” adds Farhan. 

Having bought new build previously Farhan was very sure that he wanted to repeat the experience as he explains: “With a new build home, you don’t get any nasty surprises when you move in and realise that you are going to have to do lots of renovations. The NHBC warranty gives me peace of mind and we were able to move in straight away without the disruptions of a lot of building work.

“I only have very positive things to share about dealing with Higgins Homes, really without the perseverance and support of the team, I don’t think we would have been able to complete the transaction. They were very helpful and active on every part of the process and they regularly gave us update reports, which meant that I could get on with my job knowing they were taking a lot of the stress away.”