Born and raised in London and relishing the convenience and variety of city life, Jade Emery never imagined building a life beyond the capital.
She and her partner John Watkins, 39, even managed to make a modest step onto the property ladder, buying a 35 per cent share of a £390,000 two-bedroom flat in Sutton in 2018.
At first they loved life in their own home, with John’s daughter Amelie, 10, coming to stay at weekends. But when the couple had their son, Albie, now five, Jade, 35, began to feel differently.
“We were right on the high street and while it was nice having everything close by it was just so noisy,” said Jade. “And we loved the flat but we wanted a house with a garden.”
Choosing an onward location was easy. In 2023 Jade’s parents had moved from Sutton to Yapton, a West Sussex village a couple of miles from the south coast.
Joining them seemed like a no brainer, particularly since her folks were willing to help out with childcare.
And since the DIY-phobic couple were keen to buy a new home they decided to move into the same development, Barratt Homes’ Ryebank Gate (barratthomes.co.uk). Jade’s sister is based in Barnham, the next village.
Decent transport links were a priority because the couple are both hybrid workers.
John is a billings manager, and goes into the office in New Malden twice a week.
Jade, who works in credit control and mobilisation of contracts, travels to Chingford twice a month. Trains from Barnham to London Victoria take about an hour and a half.
They reserved their new house last September, and sold their Sutton flat for £375,000 in October. Although this represented a slight loss it still allowed them to put down a £37,000 deposit on a three-bedroom house at Ryebank Gate which cost £364,995.
They then stayed with Jade’s parents until their house was ready for them, finally moving in in mid-December, just in time for Christmas.
“There is a great sense of belonging here,” said Jade. “Our son, who is enrolled at the local primary school, has a lot of his friends on the development.
“It’s fantastic to have that closeness where fellow parents can help out on school runs if my parents are away and John and I are working in London.
“Our home looks over the farming fields. It’s great to be able to have our windows open and not be woken up at 4am to the sound of traffic.”
On days out the family can drive to the beach in less than 10 minutes, which Jade says is ample compensation for the loss of Sutton’s busy high street, full of shops and amenities.
Her closest option for eating out and shopping include the market town of Barnham, a 20-minute walk away.
“Obviously I miss my friends, but you just have to make the effort to see them, you just adapt,” she said.
“And we are so close to the sea that they are all coming down to see us on weekends at the moment anyway.”
