About Barratt Homes

The development is generally well looked after although it has taken a while for some ongoing maintenance issues on the development to be rectified. There are a number of playgrounds, a trim trail and a small woodland area with good pathways linking the various parts of the development.

There is a Residents Association which keeps residents up to date on issues relating to the development and also helps represent residents when dealing with the estate management company.

A bus route has recently started which runs along the main road through the development. The bus route goes through Coulsdon town centre which is useful for shops (as there are no commercial shops in Cane Hill) and connecting to other bus routes or getting to the train stations.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

Cane Hill Park is a very nice area to live. The area generally feels very safe and there is a strong sense of community here.
There are a lot of young couples and families living here and there are a number of playgrounds and open spaces for people to enjoy. There are a number of other bigger park spaces nearby which are a short walk from Cane Hill.
A bus service has recently started which connects Cane Hill Park to Coulsdon and Old Coulsdon.
There is a local farm with a shop that sells a small number of items such as eggs and potatoes. It is only a short walk into Coulsdon where there are a number of independent shops, cafes and restaurants in the local high street.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

We wish we had known more about the annual estate maintenance charges and what these covered.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

We have not yet had to raise any issues directly to the estate management company.

The property management could be better. We did have a few issues with our flat within the first year of it being built and we had to wait a while for this to be fixed. We also had to wait at least a year for the kerb to be lowered in order to park at the front of our flat.

During heavy snow, the snow actually came through the vents of the roof (we are a top floor flat) and this caused wet patches and water to drop through our light fixture on the ceiling which was dangerous. This should be considered if designing more properties like this.

The area could be more affordable, However it does reflect Milton Keynes house prices which are increasing.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

There are no shops in this development yet despite it being here for 5 years. The only thing here is a primary school.
It has close links to the train station and wolverton train station.
There are nice restaurants nearby in Stony Stratford and Wolverton.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish I had known that the housing association were a bit anal with their polocitoes. We are not even allowed to have door mates outside the flat due to health and safety.

Also, when we want to sell it has to go through an 8 week period with the housing association first, so bear this in mind.

They are flexible with other things though as we were able to get a dog with no issues.

What is the best feature of your home:

The best feature of this home would be the kitchen and all the integrated appliances, although the dishwasher did stop working after a year or so.

Negatives
– Guest parking space (unless you have a private gated parking block)
– Insulation makes summer tough going

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

Great local amenties including gyms, supermarkets, schools, parks, shops in chatterton village

Nothing negative to note locally

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I would not really change much if anything