SEASIDE & COUNTRY HOMES AREAS AND PROPERTIES GUIDE This guide contains information about the areas and properties that are part of the scheme. You should read it carefully before you make your application. You may also find it useful to refer to once you’ve applied or if you need to contact us. PAGE 2 WHERE OUR PROPERTIES ARE LOCATED PAGE 3 WHAT IS SEASIDE & COUNTRY HOMES? OUR AREAS AND PROPERTIES The Mayor of London’s Seaside & Country Over 3,000 properties, mainly two bedroom Homes scheme offers older council or bungalows and one and two bedroom flats, housing association tenants in London the are exclusively available to London’s social opportunity to move away from the hustle and tenants aged 55+ and over. These are dotted bustle of the city. The scheme helps up to 200 all along the south coast, from Cornwall in households to move from London each year. the south west to Norfolk and Lincolnshire It is operated by the Mayor of London and in the east, and across the countryside from is funded by the London boroughs. You can Dorset to Cambridgeshire to Shropshire. Many find more information on Seaside & Country have private gardens or outdoor communal Homes at www.london.gov.uk/seaside. areas and are in peaceful, purpose built WHO CAN APPLY? developments. A list of all the areas, and types and sizes of properties, covered by the Seaside & Country Homes is open to London scheme can be found in Table 1 towards the council or participating housing association back of this booklet. tenants where at least one member of the household is aged 55 or over. People who move through the scheme become a tenant of the housing association Any members of the household who are under that manages the property. They pay a social 55 years of age must be either the partner, rent and their former tenancy rights are joint tenant, registered carer or dependent protected. Seaside & Country Homes tenants adult child of the lead applicant. Second do not have the Right to Buy. applicants aged under 55 cannot become joint tenants of, or have succession rights to, CHOOSING AREAS Seaside and Country Homes properties. When you complete the application form, We’re normally unable to consider applications you will need to choose which of the Seaside from more than two people. If you have a three & Country Homes areas you would like to person household please contact us before be considered for. You are able to select a completing an application. maximum of 10 areas. The more areas you are willing to move to, the more chance you have Applicants should have no rent arrears or of being successful through the scheme. history of anti-social behaviour, and shouldn’t be going through possession proceedings or However, you must be fully committed to being evicted. moving to all of the areas that you select on your application form. It is likely that you will The Seaside & Country Homes scheme is have to cover the costs of travelling to view very popular, so we can’t guarantee a move properties, so we do not want you to waste to everyone who applies. Priority is given to time and money viewing a property only to applicants who’ll free up the most bedrooms. find that you do not like the area. If you choose HOW TO APPLY areas that you have not previously visited, then we strongly suggest that you visit them If you’d like to apply, you can do so online at as soon as you can. Once you are registered www.london.gov.uk/seaside and click Apply Now. on the scheme, you can always get in touch Alternatively you can pick up an application with us to ask us to change or add to the areas form from your landlord or local council’s on your application. housing office, or contact us – the Mayor When choosing which areas to put down of London’s Housing Mobility Team. You’ll on your application, please think about the find our contact details on the back of this following points: guide. If you complete a paper or downloaded application form, please send it to us by post or email it to us as an attachment. Completed paper or downloaded applications should be sent direct to us rather than to your landlord. PAGE 4 THE LEVEL OF DEMAND CAN YOU MANAGE A GARDEN? Some areas are in higher demand than others As well as maintaining the property in and bungalows more so than flats. In some accordance with the tenancy agreement, popular areas we have only a very small you may also be responsible for maintaining number of properties and therefore these a garden. Almost all of our bungalows have will always be in high demand. In other areas private gardens. where there are a high number of properties DO YOU NEED A LIFT? demand may still be high, often because the area is close to London. The level of demand While most of the Seaside & Country Homes for each property is indicated in the key properties are bungalows, some are flats and below. The most popular areas are Essex, a few are houses. Most of the flats have lifts, Kent and Sussex. Applicants who currently some do not. If you will need a lift to reach live in properties with one or two bedrooms higher floors, then please check that any will only be offered moves if they are prepared flats in the areas that you put down on your to consider properties and areas that are in application form have this facility. Also, if you medium, low or very low demand. have a floor preference (for example, ground floor only) please make sure that this HOW WE MEASURE is indicated on your application form. THE LEVEL OF DEMAND DO YOU NEED A BATH OR *** High demand: likely to be offered to WALK-IN SHOWER? households giving up properties with a minimum of three bedrooms When you apply, you need to tell us whether you need a bath or a walk-in shower, or are ** Medium demand: likely to be offered to happy with either. Please be aware that households giving up properties with a minimum when we are deciding which properties to of two bedrooms put you forward for, we look carefully at the * Low demand: will usually be offered to information that you have provided. So, if you households giving up properties with two choose only one type of bathroom you will not bedrooms but will occasionally go to households be put forward for properties with the other with one bedroom type of bathroom. DO YOU NEED TO BE CLOSE TO DO YOU HAVE PETS? SPECIFIC AMENITIES? Not all of our landlords accept pets. Pets Things you might take for granted in London are usually permitted in bungalows but not might not always be available in the area you in most flats. If you have pets, please make choose to move to. If you need to be close sure that the properties in the areas that you to specific amenities, such as hospitals or select meet your requirements. There may mainline rail stations, you need to check sometimes be limits on the number of pets whether they are available when choosing that are allowed. which areas to select on your application form. JOURNEY TIMES FROM LONDON All distances and journey times are from central London are approximate and will vary depending on your current location. For directions to properties visit www.theaa.com. For information on train times and prices visit www.nationalrail.co.uk. PAGE 5 BERKSHIRE CAMBRIDGESHIRE MARCH LAMBOURN LAMBOURN, BERKSHIRE MARCH, CAMBRIDGESHIRE • The Park, Upper Lambourn Road, RG17 • Chandlers Way, PE15 (8 bungalows) ** (26 bungalows) ** • Roses Close, PE15 (12 bungalows) ** Landlord: Places for People • White Lion Close, PE15 (12 bungalows) ** Pets: allowed Landlord: Accent Nene Distance from London: 70 miles Pets: allowed By car: 1 hours 45 minutes Distance from London: 91 miles By train: there is no train station in Lam- By car: 2 hours 15 minutes bourn. The closest station is Hungerford (6.5 By train: trains to March Station depart miles). from London Kings Cross and require Direct trains to Hungerford depart from passengers to change at Peterborough London Paddington (1 hour 5 minutes) or Ely (1 hour 30 minutes) DEMAND KEY *** HIGH ** MEDIUM * LOW PAGE 6 CORNWALL DEVON EXMOUTH PERRANPORTH ILLOGAN PLYMOUTH ILLOGAN, CORNWALL EXMOUTH, DEVON • Penwartha Road, TR16 (40 bungalows) ** • Winston Road, EX8 (27 bungalows) *** Landlord: Devon and Cornwall Housing Landlord: Devon and Cornwall Housing Association Association Pets: allowed Pets: allowed Distance from London: 283 miles Distance from London: 200 miles By car: 5 hours 15 minutes By car: 3 hours 45 minutes By train: there is no train station at Illogan. By train: trains to Exmouth depart from The nearest station is Camborne (4 miles). London Paddington and require passengers Direct trains to Camborne depart from to change at Bristol Parkway and Exeter St London Paddington (5 hours) Davids (3 hours 5 minutes) PERRANPORTH, CORNWALL PLYMSTOCK, PLYMOUTH, DEVON • Halveor Court, Station Road, TR6 • Renoir Close, PL9 (10 bungalows) ** (2 storey, 21 2-bed flats) * • Charnhill Close, PL9 (7 bungalows) ** Landlord: Devon and Cornwall Housing • Charnhill Way, PL9 (16 bungalows) ** Association Landlord: Devon and Cornwall Housing Pets: allowed Association Distance from London: 284 miles Pets: allowed By car: 5 hours 15 minutes Distance from London: 234 miles By train: there is no train station at By car: 4 hours 30 minutes Perranporth. The nearest station is By train: direct trains to Plymouth Station Camborne (15 miles).