1 Poplar Cottages, Smythes Green, Layer Marney, Colchester, CO5 9XW

1 Poplar Cottages is a four-bedroom semi-detached house in Layer Marney, Colchester, Colchester (CO5 9XW). It has a recorded floor area of 123 m² (around 1324 sq ft), construction records dating it to 1930-1949 and council tax band C. The latest certificate (January 2013) shows a D (score 58), a step below the typical UK home. The rating has held steady at D across 2 certificates since May 2012. The recommended improvements would lift it to B (score 88), a 2-band jump. Main heating runs on oil. The latest certificate is from January 2013, so improvements made since then won't be reflected.

Today's modelled estimate of £424,000 sits 69.6% above the 2014 sale of £250,000. On a £-per-square-foot basis, the last sale (£189/sq ft) was about 31.6% below the postcode norm. 3 planning records sit against the property, 1 approved, 2 refused. Past consents include an extension, meaningful when judging how the property has evolved. At 123 m² it's 15.2% smaller than the typical home in the postcode (145 m² median across 11 EPCs). It lags the bulk of the postcode on energy efficiency (less efficient than 82% of similar EPCs). On the market in September 2014 and unlisted since — roughly 12 years.