The Reserve is a one of a kind development. It is absolutely the reason we decided to buy here. It almost feels like a little bubble on its own with houses that have a scandi feel to the architecture – different to any development we or anyone who has visited has seen before. Our house itself feels well built and is the perfect size for our needs at this time so we couldn’t ask for more. The houses also don’t feel too hemmed into eachother so it still feels quite private which is great. In terms of facilities we are 10 minutes from Waltham cross and 20 from Waltham Abbey walking so there are shops around if we need them although nothing more local apart from a garage. Different to our experience living in central london! Property management has generally been very good, Higgins were attentive and swift in coming to fix bits and bobs of the couple of years we needed it and their staff were excellent!
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Waltham Cross is an interesting area to live as there are definite pros and cons.
Pros:
The proximity and transport links to London are excellent. You can get into Kings Cross and Stratford in around 20 mins, as well as Liverpool Street in 30 mins so it’s really not dissimilar to living in some Zone 2 areas of London in my experience.
The Lea Valley Park is fantastic. Having almost direct access to this from our development has genuinely been lifechanging and owes itself to a variety of activities including walking, running, cycling, fishing, boating and picnics etc. We feel very lucky to have this on our doorstep.
Cons:
Waltham cross as a town is not great. I did have concerns before we moved here but the house/development and transport links as well as proximity to the park trumped this. The town is tired and feels very low end in terms of its population at the moment. It is not aesthetically pleasing but we are hoping with further developments in the area such as the Hollywood studios, this is going to change. The schooling is also not great so if we ever stayed here we would definitely be paying for private schooling.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
A little more about the schooling and general area. A tip for you when buying on a development, think about the position of your plot. We spent a lot of time choosing which plot we wanted and it has paid off because we have the most private corner of the development and it feels very peaceful!
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Yes, all problems and issues were dealt with quickly and efficiently.
