Hartland Village, Fleet, Hampshire: a village with a 70 acre country park
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Hello everyone. This time we are leaving London. In Hampshire, a village is being built with its own 70 acre country park: Hartland Village!
For prices, taxes and the whole buying process, see our guide: UK Property Guide
Apartment types, current price range and location: see the project page
In the town of Fleet, on the site of a former aviation test facility, St Edward a huge scheme developed by (part of the Berkeley Group). In total roughly 1,500 homes, 100 acres of open space, with a 70 acre country park inside it and more than 6 miles of walking routes. It will have its own village centre, shops and primary school. Yes, you read that correctly, you could say you are buying not an apartment but a village.
Prices
- One and two bedroom apartments: roughly £280,000and up
- Three and four bedroom detached houses: £525,000 to £720,000 band
- Larger four and five bedroom houses £950,000 run up to the level of
- Apartment and house sizes: 119 m² and above; family layouts available
- Address: Ively Road, Fleet, Hampshire GU51 3GL
Berkeley Group / St Edward One of the most established developers in England. Its quality standard and delivery discipline are treated as a benchmark in the sector; and the homes are handed over with an NHBC warranty. the advantages of buying a new build home with a strong developer behind it.
Why Hartland Village?
A real house, well below London prices: in London £525,000 buys you an apartment of 50 to 60 m². Here the same money buys a detached house with a garden, a garage and three or four bedrooms. For families with children and people who want to move out of London the mathematics works very differently.
- Fleet tren istasyonu: on South Western Railway, about 45 to 50 minutes to London Waterloo
- Farnborough Main: faster services of about 35 minutes to Waterloo
- M3 otoyolu right beside it; a direct link to London and the south coast
- Heathrow Airport about 30 to 35 minutes by car
- Farnborough Airport (private jet traffic) very close
100 acres of open space within the scheme: this is what separates the scheme from an ordinary housing estate. A 70 acre country park, more than 6 miles of walking and cycling routes. A village centre, local shops and a primary school are planned within the scheme as well. In other words the neighbourhood is self sufficient.
Daily life: far from the city, not from the connection
Leave the house at 7:30, take the train from Fleet station, be at Waterloo at 8:20. An entirely reasonable routine for anyone going into the office two or three days a week. On the other days you work from home; you have your garden, your country park and your quiet. At the weekend Ascot, Windsor and Guildford are half an hour away; the south coast two hours.
Hartland Village rental yield
This corridor of Hampshire has strong rental demand thanks to daily commuters to London and workers in the aerospace and defence industry at Farnborough. The apartments usually let for £1,200 to £1,600 a month, three bedroom houses £2,000 to £2,600 a month a month. That puts the gross rental yield in the 4.5-5% band, markedly above London’s Zone 1 schemes.
Tenant profile: employees of the technology and defence companies in Farnborough and Basingstoke, professionals going into London a few days a week, and families with school age children. In family houses tenants stay a long time and the turnover rate is low. For other areas that work on the same logic, high yield buy to let areas is worth a look.
The shared areas and the details that set Hartland Village apart
- A 70 acre country park: within the scheme itself; no residential scheme in London has green space on this scale.
- More than 6 miles of walking and cycling routes: planned to be part of daily life.
- A village centre and local shops: within the scheme; you do not need to go out for the supermarket and daily needs.
- A primary school: planned within the scheme; a decisive advantage for families with children.
- Children’s play areas: distributed through the landscaped green space.
- Sports and fitness facilities: facilities for residents.
- Cafes and restaurants: commercial units within the scheme.
- A garden, a garage and parking: standard with the houses; things that are a dream in London are normal here.
Energy efficiency and comfort
Berkeley standard insulation, high performance windows and efficient heating; the homes are typically EPC B band. In detached houses that difference matters even more, because the volume to be heated is large. Compared with England’s older rural housing stock the difference in the annual bill is very marked.
Who is buying?
Families moving out of London are the main audience for this scheme. For professionals who have moved since the pandemic to a "two days in the office, three at home" model, Fleet is an ideal point of balance. Alongside them, international families who want their children educated in the United Kingdom and are looking for a safe setting away from the density of London take an interest too. On the investor side it is chosen by those looking for a higher rental yield than London.
Frequently asked questions
Is it not far from London? About 45 to 50 minutes to Waterloo by train. That is no different from many Zone 4 and 5 districts within London itself. The difference is this: here the same money buys a house with a garden.
What is the tenure? Detached houses are usually Freehold (full ownership): different from the leasehold system of London apartments and more advantageous from the buyer’s point of view. The apartments are leasehold.
Can I buy as a foreign national? Yes, there is no restriction on foreign nationals buying property in the United Kingdom. For the process, our remote property purchase guide page.
Can I use a mortgage? Foreign buyers can normally borrow up to 65-75% of the value. UK mortgages for foreign nationals sets it out.
Is there a service charge? In the houses, instead of a service charge an annual estate charge is paid for the upkeep of the shared areas, and that amount is far below the service charge of London apartments. It is an important item that improves the net return directly.
What are the schools like? A primary school is planned within the scheme; in Fleet and the surrounding area there are Hampshire’s strong state schools and private school options.
Total cost: what you actually pay when you buy at Hartland Village
Many overseas buyers look only at the apartment price and meet a surprise at completion. Let us work out the real cost on a £525,000 apartment. Stamp duty (SDLT) in the United Kingdom is banded: 0% up to £125,000, then 2%, 5%, 10% and 12%. On top of that, non-residents pay a 2% surcharge, and if you already own another home, a further 5% additional dwelling rate applies.
| Item | If it will be your only home | If it will be an additional home |
|---|---|---|
| Property price | £525,000 | £525,000 |
| Stamp duty (SDLT) | £26,750 | £53,000 |
| Legal fees | £1,500 to £3,000 | £1,500 to £3,000 |
| Searches and Land Registry fees | about £800 | about £800 |
| Approximate total | £554,050 | £581,800 |
With a mortgage there are also valuation and bank charges, and if you let the property, management commission and income tax. The figures above are indicative, based on a £525,000 entry price; we prepare the exact calculation for your own scenario.
The Hartland Village buying process, step by step
If you are buying from another country, the process runs like this:
- 1. Choosing the apartment and reserving it. We go through the floor plans, the aspect and the view. The apartment you choose is usually held with a reservation fee of £5,000 to £10,000.
- 2. Appointing a solicitor. An independent English property solicitor (conveyancer) is appointed. That solicitor acts for you, not for the developer.
- 3. Identity and source of funds checks. You will be asked for a passport, proof of address and documents showing the source of your funds. This step is compulsory in the United Kingdom, and having the papers ready shortens the process.
- 4. Exchange of contracts and deposit. Contracts are usually exchanged within 21 days of the reservation, with a 10% deposit. The signature can be given digitally from abroad.
- 5. Stage payments. In off plan projects these follow the payment schedule; for completed apartments the step is skipped.
- 6. Completion. The remaining balance and the stamp duty are paid and the title is registered in your name. For completed apartments this stage can take four to eight weeks.
You can run the whole process from your own country; you do not have to travel to the United Kingdom.
Risks and what to watch for
We have set out the strengths; in fairness there are points to watch as well. For Hartland Village, these are the ones worth pausing on:
- Not London, a regional market: capital growth moves to a different rhythm from London; expect steady growth rather than a quick capital gain.
- In practice a car is essential: public transport is based on the railway station; using a car in daily life is not optional as it is in London.
- A very large, long running scheme: roughly 1,500 homes are handed over in stages; amenities such as the village centre and the school will be completed over time.
- Narrow international tenant pool: there is no flow of corporate and international tenants as in London; the tenant profile is local and regional.
None of this makes the project a bad one, but there is a wide gap between buying with your eyes open and finding out afterwards. We give every client this list up front.
How does Hartland Village compare with the alternatives?
Before you decide, it is worth looking at the other projects in the same budget band:
- Sunningdale Park: in the same corridor, an upper segment and historic manor concept.
- Royal Gateway: an alternative on the Central Line for anyone who wants to stay within London.
- King's Road Park: for anyone looking for family living inside a park in London.
We can work out together which project fits your goal, judged on budget, intended use and exit plan. For an overview, our guide to UK property investment for international buyers is worth reading too.
Answers to the most common questions on this topic: Which UK Cities Have the Highest Rental Yields?
