Publication Date: 27-08-2025 09:00
‘Let’s just do it!’ – couple decided to buy house at New Cardington Fields during husband’s lengthy hospital stay
A couple’s choice to buy a new home in Shortstown came at a challenging time but they believe it was the best decision they could ever have made.
Laura and Jason Hatchell, who are both schoolteachers, have moved to a four-bedroom detached house at Bellway’s New Cardington Fields development from a two-bedroom terrace property in nearby Bedford.
The couple had initially thought they would buy a three-bedroom house – but had a dilemma after visiting Bellway’s four-bedroom Scrivener showhome and loving what they saw.
However, while they were weighing up the decision, Jason spent five weeks in hospital receiving treatment following a series of kidney operations and it gave him ample time to consider all their options.
Jason, 33, said: “I normally take a lot of time over a decision. I was signed off work and I knew I had time to think and plan. I had been thinking about it, lying there for weeks and looking at the brochure and I just said to Laura, ‘go and tell them we want to reserve’. We knew they would be popular because they were reasonably priced, and it was a case of ‘let’s just do it.’
“We are very happy with the decision we made. We got the mortgage we wanted at a reasonable price and everything aligned. We definitely made the right decision.”
They moved into their house in the Scrivener style in August 2023. And last New Year’s Eve their new baby boy, Arthur, was born.
Laura, 31, who grew up in Luton, and Jason, who is originally from Dublin in Ireland, had both lived in busy areas before and felt they wanted to be somewhere they could enjoy peace and quiet.
They like the design of the development which Jason said is “nice and open” and the location of their home is near to a park and within easy reach of pleasant walks.
Their home is not far from the famous Cardington Hangars. Jason said: “It’s tucked away a bit here. You come down past the old hangars and nobody comes down this way unless they live here. For us having come from busier places, we wanted quiet and somewhere that will be nice for the future.”
They also appreciate that the development is near good road connections. Jason said: “It’s really accessible for where we work. I’m 15 minutes away and Laura is half an hour away. It’s close to family and easy to get to the M1 and the A421, which is good.”
The couple were keen to move to a new-build property again as their previous place was also a new build. The energy efficiency appealed to them, and they were also attracted by moving in somewhere that wouldn’t need any work doing to it other than decorating to their taste.
Laura said: “In our line of work we don’t have much spare time. We liked the idea of moving in and having a blank canvas that we can make our own.”
They sold their old property using Bellway’s Express Mover scheme, which takes care of the selling process and includes Bellway paying the estate agent fees.
The couple were also offered further upgrades which allowed them to customise their home to their own preferences, and which were all installed prior to completion.
The couple have been very happy with the customer service from the sales team and site staff. “I couldn’t fault them at all,” said Jason. “Because we sold the house through their scheme they were chasing, and I don’t know what would have happened without them.
“Bellway were really good. They did everything they could and the aftercare in the last year and a half has been good. We have had very few issues, but they have resolved anything we asked about quickly.”
They love the space in their new home and having a utility room, garage, and a large driveway.
Jason said: “This is the smallest four-bed they do, but it’s very sizeable. The kitchen diner is our favourite room, and we spend most of our time here. The space is so usable. We looked at a plethora of new builds and some have not used space well. This is big and open, but it is usable, not just a massive blank room.”
Laura said: “When I walked into the showhome kitchen, I could just picture myself in this type of house.”
Jason added: “We have had the garden landscaped, and we didn’t realise the size of it until we moved in. It’s so much bigger than we thought. We have a lot of space and plenty of storage which we never had before.”
Laura has been documenting the changes to the garden and the decorating they have done inside via an Instagram account @scrivener_on_the_green which she started in order to show other people considering buying a Scrivener-style house what it is like.
Now they are very happy in their family home.
Jason said: “We are much more relaxed now. We feel a lot more secure in the sense that we never need to move again, and we don’t really want to. This is our forever home now.”
There’s currently a choice of two, three and four-bedroom houses available to reserve at New Cardington Fields, with prices starting from £320,000.
To find out more, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/northern-home-counties/new-cardington-fields or call the sales team on 01234 923909.
