Hillcrest Cottages, 2a, Mersea Road, Abberton, Colchester, CO5 7NS

Hillcrest Cottages is a detached house in Abberton, Colchester, Colchester (CO5 7NS). It has a recorded floor area of 42 m² (around 452 sq ft) and construction records dating it to 1930-1949. At 42 m² this is the smallest unit on EPC record across Hillcrest Cottages (42–130 m²). The building's EPC ratings span F to C, with this unit at the top. On EPC score it ranks first in the building (77 versus a worst of 36). The latest certificate (September 2025) shows a C (score 77), near the top of the C band. When first surveyed in January 2020 the rating was E, the property has climbed 2 bands since. Between certificates, main heating went from Average to Good; while window efficiency dropped from Average to Poor and lighting dropped from Very Good to Good. The recommended improvements would lift it to A (score 93), a 2-band jump. Main heating runs on electricity.

At 42 m² it sits well below the postcode median (102 m² across 8 EPCs), making it one of the more compact homes locally. One planning record on file: an extension approved in 2016. Past consents include an extension, meaningful when judging how the property has evolved.