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Wednesday, 6th June 2007

Stoneleigh's well worth waiting for

Carmel Thomason


LOOKING for a house can take a lot of patience, especially when you are a first-time buyer.

However, Dale Smith and Danny Hallet are proof that if you keep looking, you might find exactly what you want even if it is not where you first expected to find it.

“The obvious choice would have been for us to move to Manchester city centre,” says Dale, a civil servant in Rochdale. “However, we both agreed that this type of lifestyle was simply not for us.

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“When we set out looking for a new home we had no real direction. I was viewing older homes that had no real appeal. Once we stepped foot in the show home at Stoneleigh, we just had to have one. It felt warm, cosy and homely and at such a fantastic price. We are sporty people and love to keep fit by running in the evenings. Stoneleigh is perfect for us.”

After a year-long search, the couple bought a two-bedroom mews house on the new McInerney Homes development, Stoneleigh, in the heart of Oldham.

Cheaper

It is one of 73 energy efficient homes and apartments, also making it cheaper to run.

McInerney Homes was the first private developer to be granted funding by the £67.5m Oldham Rochdale Housing Market Renewal Project to create energy efficient properties and improve the surrounding scheme’s environment.

Each property at Stoneleigh has large south-facing windows to maximise solar gain with the layout of the development arranged to avoid overshadowing. To save further on heating bills, the homes have high efficiency boilers, enhanced insulation and low e-glazing, which has a special glass coating to reflect heat back into the room.

Aerated taps and water butts reduce water wastage while a compost bin and a recycling bin encourage residents to separate their waste ready for recycling. The homes also use timber from renewable certified sources.

“I viewed other new-build properties at the time and none of them offered the additional extras that come with a McInerney home,” adds Dale. “With the offer of the deposit paid, our decision was made easy when it came to taking this step.”

Prices at Stoneleigh start for a 2-bed apartment from £102,995. For details call 0161 633 2095 or visit mcinerneyhomes.com.