First time buyers queue for £60k flats

Mar 7 2006 By Neil Elkes, Birmingham Mail

THERE may be barely enough room to swing the proverbial cat, but Birmingham's first clutch of £60,000 new flats are being snapped up by eager first time buyers.

The new trendy studio flats, in Castle Vale, are the latest attempt to meet the high demand for affordable homes.

Average house prices in the West Midlands are at £180,000, way beyond the pocket of the majority of young professionals keen to get on the property ladder.

But 40 of them are on the first rung and will shortly move into their new flats on the Redrow Debut home development in Reed Square, Castle Vale.

Prices on the 103-home estate range from £59,995 for a studio flat, to £110,000 for a two-bedroom maisonette.

But it is the 21 £60,000 units which will grab the headlines as they answer the Govern-ment's call for builders to provide homes for those on a strict budget.

The sleeping area is just over 8ft by 10ft, enough for a double bed and small hanging place, while a kitchen/front room is slightly more than 14ft by 10ft.

The tiny 5ft by 7ft "splash" room contains toilet, sink, shower and washing machine.

As a first home it may be ideal, but forget finding hideaway space for that baggage - clutter such as a large record collection or an unused exercise bike. They maximise space by cutting down or removing corridors and hallways.

The single-storey flats are on the ground floor with a two-storey maisonette above - these are reversed with the living areas on the top floor.

The monthly lease for the smallest unit is a fixed price of £67 and includes gas and electricity as well as maintenance of the grounds and communal areas.

Redrow sales director Julia Pallister said: "We are meeting a huge demand for affordable yet stylish new homes in first class locations. There's a glut of first time buyers searching for somewhere that will take them out of the family nest."

She said that the average age of buyers is about 25-30. The Debut development is expected to completed by December.

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