Avondale

Shopping

The development is just three miles from Braintree town centre and its mixture of chain and independent shops, supermarkets, restaurants and cafés. A twice weekly market also takes place along High Street. Outlet centre Freeport Braintree is just five minutes’ drive from Avondale and has more than 85 stores including designer boutiques, homeware, beauty and high street retailers – as well as several eateries and, next door, a multi-screen cinema and bowling alley. Chelmsford, 12 miles away, is another popular shopping destination, with a vibrant commercial centre and three shopping malls: High Chelmer, Meadows and the open-air Bond Street.

Leisure

Avondale is surrounded by open countryside, providing a multitude of opportunities for outdoor activities, from informal walking and cycling, to organised sports and leisure. Deanswood Equestrian Centre, 10 minutes’ walk away, offers riding lessons and organises a children’s pony club, while football pitches and a children’s play area are located at Cressing Sports and Social Club on Jeffrey’s Road, which is also the home of amateur football club Cressing FC.

Nearby Braintree has hockey, rugby, football, athletics and tennis clubs, in addition to two leisure centres: Braintree Sport & Health Club and Braintree Swimming & Fitness. These offer a range of facilities, including swimming pools, gyms, exercise studios, a sports hall, athletics track, outdoor tennis and netball courts, and football pitches.

Cressing Temple, two miles away, is home to two of the oldest timber barns in the country and was once the property of the Knights Templar – a medieval military organisation that fought in the Crusades. The 13th century Wheat and Barley Barns, and the Tudor gardens on the same site, are popular with visitors and host community events throughout the year.

Education

Well-regarded schools in the local area include Cressing Primary and White Notley CE Primary for young children aged 4 – 11 years, and Notley High School, Braintree Sixth Form and Alec Hunter Academy for secondary-age pupils. Apprenticeships and further education courses are provided by the Braintree campus of Colchester Institute, four miles from these new homes in Cressing, while undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses are offered by Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford, 25 minutes’ drive away.

Transport

Regular train services run from Cressing Railway Station, five minutes’ walk from Avondale, to Braintree, Chelmsford and London Liverpool Street. Major roads easily accessible from the development include the A120 for Stansted Airport, Colchester and Harwich, and the A12 for Chelmsford, the M25 and east London. Local buses connect the area with neighbouring towns and villages.