First-time buyers car sales manager Brinsley Layzell and girlfriend Katie Wood used the Help to Buy scheme to buy a £204,000 home at Holborough Lakes, Snodland – and the pair couldn’t be happier with the results.

“Katie and I were looking for somewhere more rural than urban,” said Brinsley.

“I can drive to my work in Croydon easily, with the M2 and M20 lying either side of Snodland, and there are good transport links for Katie as she will mostly need the mainline train stations so she can commute to London.”

Brinsley, a keen cyclist who puts in more than 3,500 miles on his bike every year, said: “There are a lot of good country lanes for me to cycle through, which was also an important part of the buying decision.”

Now available at Holborough Lakes is the Herons, a new phase of luxuriously appointed properties.

The collection of one, two and three-bedroom apartments and two, three, four and five-bedroom houses is situated in an enviable waterfront location facing across the lake, bordered on three sides by trees and bushes, providing plenty of privacy and seclusion.

Each apartment features a spacious terrace or balcony from which to enjoy the spectacular waterfront views, and spacious gardens. Finished to a high specification, all the homes come with fully fitted kitchens and bathrooms as well as open-plan dining and living areas to provide flexible living space designed to satisfy the varying demands of contemporary lifestyles. Facilities include an on-site creche, residents’ gym plus a water sports and diving school.

Prices start from £172,000.

For details call 01634 244666 or see www.holboroughlakes.co.uk