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A LEICESTERSHIRE developer has welcomed the recent hike in the stamp duty threshold and is seeking to ensure first time buyers aren't left out in the cold by pegging the prices of some of its state-of-the art apartments at just under the £120,000 mark. Westleigh Developments of Whetstone, Leicestershire, has pegged the prices of its new apartments in Northampton and Kettering just under the newly-fixed stamp duty threshold. It means those trying to get a foot on the property ladder can do so without breaking the bank but while still reaping all the benefits of living in a luxurious new apartment. Chris Beighton, Managing Director, Westleigh Developments, said: "Nowadays it's so difficult for people trying to get on the property ladder because house prices have risen so dramatically in the past few years. This year's Budget announcement that Stamp Duty was to double from its former £60,000 mark, came as welcome news." Rightmove, the home search website, has claimed that Stamp Duty should be abolished altogether for first time buyers - and Westleigh supports this, but said the higher threshold was a step in the right direction. "At least it gives them a better chance of finding a property which won't incur the additional charge. As a company we welcome anything that encourages and helps people to buy their first home. We are always looking for ways to provide properties at affordable levels and our developments at Northampton and Kettering are just two examples of that." Ten top floor apartments at Kingsthorpe Road, Northampton, are less than a month away from completion and there are just two of 29 apartments left at the company's Park Rise development in Kettering. Both are being targeted at first time buyers. The Kingsthorpe Road apartments form part of a three and four-storey complex, which is being built as a joint project between Westleigh and two housing associations - East Midlands HA and Nottingham Community HA. There are 146 units in total and the rest will be offered for rent or shared ownership. The apartments are situated close to the town centre and have good transport links. All have an open plan kitchen/living area and one or two bedrooms with an en-suite shower room, in addition to a main bathroom. The two-bedroom Park Road apartments are close to the centre of Kettering and feature the latest state of the art kitchen and bathroom fittings. They comprise spacious lounge/dining areas, bathrooms and en-suite shower rooms. Each apartment has its own car parking space and additional spaces are provided for visitors. Westleigh Developments launched a new homes division to sell flats and houses to first time buyers back in December 2003, having identified a gap in the housing market. With almost 20 years' experience of building affordable homes for leading housing associations, it was perfectly positioned to fill this void.
Chris concluded: "At Westleigh we are totally committed to providing cost-effective housing solutions. As well as having our own new homes division, we work alongside a number of housing associations and have built numerous apartments and houses for rent, partial ownership and outright ownership all over Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire and Yorkshire." |
