Family of Four Find Their Happy Place in Sussex
When searching for a new home, ensuring that there are good schools in the surrounding area is a strong deciding factor for parents, with more than a quarter buying a house specifically to be within the catchment area of well-regarded schools. Successfully managing to do just this, the Trewin family found their perfect home at Broadacres in Horsham with Berkeley, just a few minutes’ walk from Southwater Junior Academy School. Now thoroughly enjoying family life, Mike (50), Sarah (36) and their two active little girls, Olivia and Alice are happier than ever.
Mike, a BT sport planning manager and his partner Sarah, a sales consultant, explain more about the reasons behind their move to Broadacres: “We were living a few miles up the road in Broadbridge Heath. Our primary reason for looking for a new home in Southwater was to ensure our children would be able to walk to school and have their friends on the doorstep. The local area here has extremely well thought of junior schools, so that, coupled with the fact Sarah’s parents also live here, was a big draw for us. Our last house was a detached property with a garage, so moving here has been a change as we now have a mid-terrace townhouse. Sarah and I weighed up all the pros and cons of this house vs our last. But at the end of the day the exemplar finish, alongside incredible bathrooms and location, was such a pull we couldn’t say no to the slight downsize.”
Broadacres has many unique qualities, Mike continues: “Broadacres is very special. It has a village feel all of its own, with attractive winding streets, mature trees and pretty ponds. Our three-bedroom house is in a little cul-de-sac and on occasions we put a couple of chairs at the end of the drive and let the children in the close have complete run of the road in total safety. They can cycle and scooter to their heart’s content and if a delivery driver arrives, we just move the chairs and let them in.”
“Another unique feature is the most wonderful outside wooden play area that Berkeley has built on the outskirts of Broadacres. Olivia and Alice could spend the whole day there they love it so much. There are all sorts of wooden equipment and things to balance on and clamber over – it’s really good for them and keeps them very fit and active. From a parent’s point of view, I can go up there for a couple of hours and there are often other parents around for us to chat to - so it has become a bit of a social hub for all us parents.”
Berkeley rebuilt the sports centre for the village just a few hundred yards from the heart of Broadacres, connected via a footbath. The sports pavilion has become the place of activity for Southwater and it wasn’t long before the Trewin’s became social members.
Mike muses: “I only needed to visit on one occasion to realise the added value that the cricket and sports club adds to the village and would to our lives at Broadacres. We have made loads of friends up here. It is lovely on a warm summer’s evening to sit and watch the end of a game of cricket, the children all run around on the vast acreage of sports pitches and we can get food and a drink. This setting also has the benefit of being at the top of a hill which means the pavilion enjoys the dying embers of the sunset as it sets to the west in the evening - it really is stunning. And then to add a tiny bit more joy, it’s a gentle downhill all the way back home!”
Mike and Sarah moved into Broadacres just over two years ago, into a well planned, three story townhouse which offers the family great flexible living. The ground floor is the hub of the home with a generous open plan kitchen. Mike and Sarah have the principal bedroom on the first floor with their much-loved ensuite bathroom and the girls have the run of the top floor. Two years on from buying the house, Mike remarked: “I haven’t noticed any difference in our energy bills yet, this house is new build so we have the luxury of double glazing and all the mod cons that drive down energy bills, which is super helpful.”
Mike adds: “We’ve moved into a brilliant place. The house is lovely, the neighbours are delightful and Southwater is a terrific village. Berkeley has built us an outstanding house and the girls are so happy at the local primary and junior school. Life really is good and I can’t recommend Broadacres enough to anyone wanting to move to this part of Sussex.”
Located in the heart of the charming village location of Southwater, Broadacres comprises a collection of high quality two to five-bedroom properties, thoughtfully designed to complement the surrounding area. Ideal for young professionals, families and downsizers alike, the development offers a variety of amenities on the doorstep as well as offering fantastic travel connections from Horsham train station just 10-minutes away.
The latest phase at Broadacres, Hedgerows, features a collection of beautifully crafted two, three and four bedroom homes. Each complete with Berkeley’s high-quality specification internally and externally. Interiors are carefully designed for modern living with delightful principal bedrooms boasting fitted wardrobes and an en suite. Generous living areas create the ideal space for spending quality time as a family.
For further information on Broadacres please call 01403 888 496 or find out more here.
