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Peter Allan is one such estate agent. Having worked in Lewes, East Sussex, for over 25 years he has seen – and sold – a vast number of properties. When the time came for a smaller family home, he had a very clear idea of what he wanted and knew just where to look, Westcroft Paddocks, the Rydon Homes development in the village of Plumpton Green, East Sussex.

Peter says, “The agency I have worked for since 1981, Clifford Dann in Lewes, has been instructed to sell many properties for Rydon Homes over the last 15 years. I have been involved in many of these sales, including two sites in Lewes and developments in Rodmell and Rottingdean.”

Peter continues, “I have got to know them and their properties well over the years and even if I wasn’t buying one of their houses, I would still say they are one of the best builders around. Their homes are built to a very high quality, with such a feeling of light and space. The rooms and layouts are very well thought out and attention is paid to the very last detail.”

Peter and his wife Ann, who have three grown-up sons, had been living in a four-bedroom family home in Barcombe, near Lewes. But once their sons left home, they felt it was time to make a move somewhere better suited to their own needs. To get the clean lines and well-presented look that Peter had long dreamed of, a brand new property was high on the list as was ease of maintenance and, now that three rowdy boys no longer needed to be accommodated, a smaller home.

“I had known about the Rydon Homes development at Westcroft Paddocks for a couple of years, when it was still in the planning stages and had watched as it was built,” Peter explains. “I had always liked the rural location, on a private estate road, overlooking the countryside, yet just a couple of miles from the village of Plumpton Green. For years I have been selling houses in this picturesque village and its popularity has never wavered. This may have something to do with it being just a stone’s throw from the South Downs, which is now a proposed National Park area.”

Peter’s close eye on the development really paid off, along with a little bit of luck, as he admitted, “In the end, the timing was perfect. The development was nearing completion just when the time suited us to make the lifestyle change. I never really seriously considered anything other than Westcroft Paddocks – one of the benefits of knowing the market and the competition so well. The development is a mixture of different properties, each with between two and five bedrooms and we decided to buy a three-bedroom end of terrace house.”

The house has a traditional style exterior, in keeping with the local Sussex style. The interior however is set up for modern lifestyles with a large, open plan, living and dining room for entertaining and a fully-equipped kitchen. Upstairs the master bedroom has an en-suite shower room with a modern, family bathroom serving the further two bedrooms.

Outside there is a good-sized garden to the side and rear, with French doors leading from the living room on to a patio area. There is also a separate garage and the house has a security system.

The village of Plumpton Green has a primary school, a very good convenience shop, and a couple of pubs. There is a secondary school three miles away and a railway station one-and-a-half miles away, from where the train to London takes under an hour. Being close to the East Sussex county town of Lewes, means access to more comprehensive shopping, with many high, street shops, a number of stylish restaurants and a Waitrose and a Tesco. Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and Brighton are also all easily accessible.

Peter and Ann couldn’t be happier with their move. “We have settled in at Westcroft Paddocks and love the rural location, yet we do not feel in any way isolated.” Peter explains, “Our new home is only seven miles from Lewes, which is an easy drive to work for me and it is only four miles from Barcombe, where Ann works as a playgroup supervisor. It’s very unusual to find such a place.”

The house too lives up to all their expectations. “We just love the house. It’s so clean and organised and it’s a joy having brand new kitchens and bathrooms. We had to get rid of surprisingly little of our furniture as most of it fitted into the living space.

“Rydon was fantastic throughout the purchase, with everything delivered on time. I have always enjoyed doing business with them and on a personal level it was no different. They are such nice people to know, it’s like dealing with one big happy family, which is very unusual.”