Hopkins Homes, Mill Grove

Stowmarket sits in the heart of Suffolk with rail connections that most towns this size can't match. Direct trains to London Liverpool Street, Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds & Norwich. The A14 is close by. For buyers who want to live in a proper Suffolk market town not a commuter village with a station, but a town with its own character, leisure centre, theatre, music venue and independent high street and still be in the capital in just over an hour, Mill Grove puts you exactly where you need to be.

The homes are built the way Hopkins builds everything: traditional materials, considered architecture and a specification that holds up to scrutiny. Kitchens come fitted with integrated appliances including induction hob and a Haier oven with air fry cooking, Moduleo luxury vinyl tile flooring to certain areas, Roca sanitaryware, fitted wardrobes to the principal bedroom and a timber staircase with oak handrail. These are homes designed to be lived in from day one without a list of things still to sort.

Mill Grove offers two, three, four and five-bedroom homes, along with a small number of three-bedroom bungalows, a home type that's genuinely hard to find new and harder still in Suffolk. The range means the development works for first-time buyers coming in at the accessible end of the market, for families who need more space, and for those looking to step down in size without stepping down in quality. Whatever stage you're at, there's a home here worth considering carefully.

The town itself gives you more than most. The John Peel Centre for Creative Arts hosts live music, comedy and theatre. The Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre has three pools, a climbing wall and soft play. The market runs Thursdays and Saturdays. The surrounding villages of Onehouse, Buxhall, Great Finborough, Stowupland have the pubs, real ales and home cooking that make this part of Suffolk feel like it's worth staying in at the weekend, not just using as a base.