Company: Westpoint
Size: two bedrooms
Location: Carnegie Park, Motherwell
Price: from #68,495
Verdict: suitable for the first-time buyer keen to stay in Motherwell
WHETHER a town like Motherwell benefits more than it suffers from its proximity to Glasgow is a matter of debate. For example, how many football fans from the town sneak off on a Saturday to see one of the Old Firm teams play rather than supporting the town's perfectly respectable side is perhaps a sore point among loyal fans that find themselves at Fir Park of a Saturday afternoon.
It is a positive sign to see house builders searching out and finding sites to build on in Motherwell. One that has found a good spot is Westpoint Homes, one of Scotland's smaller house builders. It built more than 100 units last year - an all-time record for the company - but it does not wish to see that as a disadvantage.
Determined to carve out a niche market in quality buildings and a personal service, Westpoint was a gold winner of this year's Housing Contractor of the Year awards from the Chartered Institute of Building.
Its Carnegie Park development in Motherwell was opened late last summer and has sold quickly since then. The Skibo showflat was opened in late January and since then the second third of the development has been sold. The development is named after Andrew Carnegie, the Scots-born businessman and later philanthropist, a small part of whose vast fortune found its way to Motherwell and went into the funding of Motherwell library.
The flats on Motherwell's Malcolm Street are named after castles: Atholl, Grant, Balmoral and Skibo, the last of which was owned by Carnegie.
Carnegie Park has 36 apartments in total, 24 of which are Skibos. There are also four Balmorals, four Grants and four Atholls. In the heart of the town, they are within easy reach of shops and other facilities.
The Skibo is priced from #68,495 and there are half-a-dozen remaining for sale. With two bedrooms, it is suitable for the first-time buyer and the second room could be used as a dining room or study. As well as the en suite shower room, there is a bathroom and the lounge measures 15ft 5in by 12ft 10in.
The interior decoration of the Skibo showflat has been done by Anne Cullis, the wife of the managing director of Westpoint, Stephen Cullis. The decoration of the lounge includes a flat trunk in the middle of the room, which acts as a coffee table, and a large, natural wood drinks cabinet at the side also adds a sense of age to the modern flat. One note of unreality is the lack of a TV, but why spoil the effect?
All the apartments have an en suite shower room. They also have breakfasting kitchens, which is a feature Westpoint favours in all of its apartment styles.
All the Balmorals are sold and there is one Grant remaining, for #65,500. The two-bedroom Atholl is priced from #67,950. One feature of the Atholl is themaster bedroom. Before one enters the bedroom proper, there is an en suite shower room on one side and built-in wardrobes on the other. This allows the full 11ft 1in by 10ft 2in of the bedroom open for full use.
The sales office is open daily from 11am to 5.30pm, telephone 01698 251 999.
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