Couple trade in the London lifestyle for the open space of Royal Hill Park

Having lived in the burgeoning neighbourhood of Crystal Palace for best part of a decade, Andrew Slatter, 48, and his partner Mark Parsons 49, decided it was time to upgrade their home and find something on a grander scale.

As a full-time graphic design lecturer at the University of the Arts London, Andrew has a sound understanding of what makes a house a home. With this knowledge, it was going to take a certain type of property to capture Andrew and his partner Mark’s eye, and they found the perfect fit, at Royal Hill Park in Surrey, a scheme developed by Countryside.

Andrew and Mark found the four-bed townhouse and were soon encouraged by friends who lived in the nearby village of Nutfield to come and see what the new-build scheme had to offer. Upon arrival, Andrew was instantaneously impressed with the design and size of the house.

Andrew commented“The grand scale of the house and the brilliant open plan spaces really stood out for us when we first visited the development. I liked how the exterior was sensitively built in line with the historical on-site Tudor House and came with a traditional pitched roof. It was also nice to see how the design was in keeping with the surrounding homes allowing the property to seamlessly weave into the area.”

Andrew and Mark have been quick to make use of entertaining and showing off their new impressive space. Andrew said:“We’ve had friends who have visited and been really impressed with our new home. When my parents stayed with us for Christmas, my Mum even cried because she was so happy in the comfort of knowing that I had such a lovely home.”

“One of the personal major selling points was that we loved the size of the big windows, allowing for an abundance of natural light in the home and also allows us to look out to the countryside.”

The other benefit of Royal Hill Park, aside from the bigger house, was the idyllic rural setting. The rolling hills and picturesque countryside provided a relaxing environment that the couple could not get in London. Royal Hill Park was a perfect compromise allowing Andrew and Mark to have the best of both worlds; with a home in the country whilst only a 25-minute commute into the city.

Another unique attraction the couple found morally compelling was the joint venture with the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB). Andrew added:

“We really believe in the scheme and the fact they are working together with the RNIB really helped us to feel secure about our decision. There are some great plans in place, such as the Sensory Trail, that are being set up to aid the sight impaired. We’ve got a great community feeling and that will only increase when more people start moving in.”