Commuter homes in Kent: Sittingbourne is less than hour from London - and cheaper than other Medway towns
Sittingbourne in Kent grew rapidly in the 19th century, using its natural clay to produce bricks for the galloping expansion of London.
Today the town is experiencing its own building boom, with a wave of new housing sparked by HS1, the highspeed rail link through north-east Kent that has become a game changer for the county's commuters.
Road and rail came early to Sittingbourne due to its location between London and Dover. Watling Street, the ancient Roman trackway, centuries later upgraded to the A2, sits beside the town, as does the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey.
The local train station opened in 1858 to support the Channel Ports. Today, the commute to Victoria and St Pancras, some 45 miles away, takes less than an hour.
One-bedroom flats start at £169,995 at Regent Quay, a five-minute walk from the station. This development of 338 homes includes traditional-looking three-bedroom houses priced from £364,995.
Stamp duty refunds and the low-deposit Help to Buy scheme are available. Call Redrow on 01795 334196.
Relative to size, Kent is England's least-populated county and also one of the most diverse, with raw and refined areas — countryside and coastal as well as the changing former industrial zones.
Medway in particular is attracting relocators from east and south-east London taking advantage of the lower prices and improved transport links.
Formerly quarries, Peters Village is a new 210-acre neighbourhood of 1,000 new homes on the banks of the Medway near Wouldham, where Hyde Housing is selling two-bedroom starter homes priced from £295,995.
Detached four-bedroom houses cost from £510,995. Call 0808 3019520 for full details.
Azure overlooks St Mary's Island, formerly a dumping ground for Chatham Dockyard but now transformed into a green waterfront neighbourhood.
Architecture has nautical and local boathouse references. Flats cost from £217,500. Call Countryside on 01634 957903.
