Housebuilders are pulling out the stops to help key workers and first time buyers get on the property ladder.

Many developers building in Bucks are offering financial discounts as a thank you to those whose jobs are vital to keeping the country on an even keel.

More than a thousand prospective homebuyers employed by the NHS have benefited from a helping hand from Barratt and David Wilson Homes in the past 12 months.

The incentive provided by these two developers to help a new generation get a foot on the property ladder - five per cent towards the deposit for a house or flat - originally had a closing date in December but it has been extended for six months.

Due to the pandemic, the closing date for the offer from these two housebuilders is now June 18 this year. The discount has an upper limit of £15,000.

Barratt is currently building two and three bedroom homes on the Kingsbrook development in Burcott Lane, Aylesbury. Prices there range from £308,995 - £314,995.

If you’re one of the growing band who’ve been sitting on a fence contemplating a house purchase, this could be your moment to swoop in and see what developers have available.

Today and tomorrow (January 22 and 23), Beaconsfield-based Inland Homes is holding a special event for first time buyers at the former Randalls department store in Uxbridge.

Bucks Free Press:

The former art deco-style Randalls department store. Picture: Hillingdon & Uxbridge Times 

The Grade II listed building has been converted into 14 one and two bedroom flats plus a studio.

Randalls was one of the best known shops in Uxbridge. It had been established for 123 years when it closed in 2015.

In 1983 an episode of Only Fools & Horses starring David Jason as Del Boy was filmed there.

The store has also been used as a set for Endeavour, the ITV series based on the early years of Inspector Morse, the fictional TV detective made famous by the late great actor John Thaw.

Prices for a smart new pad at Randalls start at £350,000.

To book a one-to-one appointment with an agent to view the development, call the sales line on 01895 252000.

Vicki Noon, the developer’s sales and marketing director says the revised London Help to Buy scheme is geared to helping first timers get a foot on the ladder.

She explains: “The government lends first time buyers up to 40 per cent of the cost of a newly built home up to the value of £600,000.

“This translates to prospective purchasers needing only a five per cent deposit and a 55 per cent mortgage to make up the rest. Buyers will not be charged loan fees on the 40 per cent [government contribution towards the purchase] for five years.”

Meanwhile, over in Aylesbury, Shanly Homes’ Merchants Place development is coming on the market next Saturday January 30 - two bedroom flats for £305,000 and three bedroom houses from £339,950.

Help to Buy is available for first time buyers.

Last week’s Property page included details of eight apartments and a studio flat at Drake Lodge in Amersham.

We said the development was above a fashion shop next to the car park in the new town, but it is a newly built complex in Rickmansworth Road. We apologise for any confusion caused.