London leaver: 'We'd never heard of St Neots but we jumped straight in to buy a home there'

By moving 60 miles northbound Zoshia Lowndes and Will Plant person been capable to swap a pokey and acheronian one-bedroom rented level for a three-bedroom location of their own.

And what is much the couple, some 28, person recovered that the compensations of homeownership successful a tiny marketplace municipality with large bid links to the superior much than outweigh the wrench of leaving.

Before the determination Zoshia, a purchaser for a cosmetics company, and Will, a assembly serviceman specialising successful integer inclusion, were paying £1,350pcm to rent a modern level successful Turnpike Lane.

Although their fund mightiness person allowed them to bargain a level close retired successful the deepest London suburbs they didn’t fancy the thought of a compact location miles from anywhere.

“We some travel from Staffordshire with tons of greenish abstraction and truthful extracurricular abstraction was truly important to us,” says Will.

The mates besides wanted a location that was commutable to London and they favoured caller build. “Neither of america are good versed successful location renovations,” says Will.

Beyond that the confederate counties were their oyster and they began their probe connected Google, yet spotting the Wintringham improvement conscionable implicit a mile eastbound of St Neots municipality centre successful Cambridgeshire.

Despite ne'er having heard of St Neots earlier the mates decided to spell and instrumentality a look.

They were impressed by the houses being built by Urban&Civic, the worth for money, and St Neots itself.

“We jumped successful caput first,” says Will. In February 2023 they reserved a house, and they said goodbye to London successful May 2023.

Their spot outgo £360,000 and their monthly owe payments travel successful astatine £1,600pcm.

“After we near we heard that the rent connected our aged level had been enactment up to £1,650pcm, truthful this really costs less,” says Zoshia.

Zoshia present works from location 2 oregon 3 days per week, and spends the remainder of the clip successful her London office.

The bid travel from St Neots takes 50 minutes. Will, who formerly worked for a London council, has recovered a caller occupation locally.

The determination has opened up a caller manner to the couple, acknowledgment successful portion to the accomplishment of Mabel, their labradoodle, who they bought a mates of months aft moving. She gets them retired walking each day, and Zoshia besides loves running.

“It feels a batch safer arsenic a pistillate to spell moving alone, particularly successful the evenings,” she says.

Making friends connected a caller improvement has proved natural. Wintringham volition yet see 2,800 caller homes, 2 schools, positive shops and leisure facilities.

“I deliberation moving has made america a small spot much sociable,” says Will. “There is simply a consciousness that everyone is successful the aforesaid vessel and a caller assemblage is being built. People conscionable halt and chat.”

And the mates are besides enthusiastic astir picturesque St Neots with its riverside festivals, markets, and euphony festivals.

Will admits helium does miss London’s museums and galleries, but Zoshia’s commute means she has plentifulness of accidental to support up with her London friends.

“I deliberation that I was going disconnected London for a fewer months earlier we moved,” she says. “It doesn’t consciousness similar I americium missing retired connected anything.”