Why Midlothian is number one for many new home buyers

Neil Gaffney, Area Sales and Marketing Director at Miller Homes, Scotland, agrees that improved rail links have helped encourage more buyers to consider Midlothian. For example, the development at Glenesk is just two-and-a-half miles from the new Eskbank Station on the Borders Railway line, making this a great commuter location for Edinburgh and indeed for the rest of east and central Scotland. Likewise, Eskbank Grange is ideally positioned for that station, as it is just a few minutes’ walk away.

There’s also a bigger picture that explains why more buyers are house hunting in Midlothian.

“One of the problems for many buyers is finding a home in Edinburgh,” says Neil. “There hasn’t really been a huge amount of build in Edinburgh.”

And there’s the issue of being able to enjoy a better lifestyle outside the city, says Neil. “If you look at the development at Roselea in Rosewell, you’re close to the bypass, but you’re on the edge of the village looking out to the countryside. You can feel as if you’re away from it all.”

Roselea offers a mix of three and four-bedroom homes, with 55 properties and 11 house styles. The three-bedroom Munro has an open plan kitchen and dining room opening on to the garden at the rear, while the Yeats has a large, family-sized dining-kitchen with four bedrooms. The Kennaway features an open plan drawing room and dining room, while the Hughes makes a statement from the entrance hallway with its galleried landing. The Gala has a very large living room, and both this space and the kitchen have French doors on to the garden. There are 13 properties now available at Roselea, with prices starting at £189,995.

Dalmore Mill, meanwhile, is located just nine miles from Edinburgh and offers a range of apartments and townhouses. This site was once home to Midlothian’s last remaining specialist paper mill, which opened in 1837 and closed in 2004. The heritage of the site was important to Miller Homes, which went on to win the best large development in the Homes for Scotland 2014 awards for Dalmore Mill. With the brick apartments drawing inspiration from the original mill buildings and contrasting with well-detailed, rendered houses, this development has brought new life into a once derelict site. With 134 properties in the development, this has been a popular site, with only eight homes still available.

“Using brick has helped create a more heritage feel to the properties,” Neil observes. A rich green hue was chosen for the windows and doors, again rooting this development within this natural site on Glencorse Burn, near the North Esk river. Apartments start at £129,995 with townhouses starting at £219,995 and the gatehouse priced at £329,995.

Glenesk also has a scenic location against the backdrop of a beautiful Victorian viaduct over the North Esk river. “A lot of the houses back on to the river so you can sit in the back garden and look out to the river rolling by,” says Neil. “Some of the plots are just stunning, and as you drive into the development it feels very secluded.” Again, green has been used as an accent on windows, doors and soffits, combined with natural slate tiles.

“We have two-bedroom apartments here that would suit first-time buyers or people downsizing and looking for the right location, and a mix of three-bedroom terraced houses through to five-bedroom homes,” says Neil. As with Dalmore Mill, Glenesk had proved to be a very popular development, with only 12 properties left and with prices starting at £149,995.

The Eskbank Grange development on the outskirts of Dalkeith now has two homes available. The Ettrick house style has five bedrooms and a bay-windowed drawing room and dining room, with a large and open plan kitchen, dining and family space taking up the rear of the ground floor and opening into the garden. The Ettrick is available to buy through part exchange and is priced from £549,000.

Time and again, the appeal returns to the benefits of their locations. From the riverside setting of Glenesk to the village location of Roselea, these developments combine their easy accessibility with the quality of lifestyle that you can enjoy when living away from the city.

• For details on all the developments, visit Miller Homes at www.millerhomes.co.uk. For details on Dalmore Mill call 03332 209 888; for Glenesk call 03334 146 561; for Roselea call 03334 146 747; and for Eskbank Grange call 03331 227 555