Spacious family homes in seaside village

Co Wicklow: from €930,000A scheme of 12 houses on a five-acre site in Newcastle, Co Wicklow has growing families in mind, writes Anne Dempsey

Racefield, a new development of 12 large family homes in the village of Newcastle in Co Wicklow, goes on sale this weekend with prices ranging from €930,000 to €960,000 for four-bedroom detached houses set on a generous five acre site.

With a showhouse open on site, and work well advanced on the remaining houses, viewers will be able to see what they are getting for their money.

The scheme is located in the heart of the village in an area traditionally known as the race field, and is suitably grassy and spacious.

Entrance gates open to a loop road with plentiful green areas, and a layout of six front-facing and six rear-facing homes. Eight of the 12 will cost €930,000, with the four end houses costing an extra €30,000. The properties come on stream in spring 2006 and the development will be maintained by a management company.

Developed by Green Lane Partnership with joint selling agents Sherry FitzGerald New Homes and Sherry FitzGerlad O'Gorman, these are trade-up homes aimed squarely at well-off families.

Racefield falls within Wicklow County Council's "locals only" conditions for planning consents granted for some schemes outside urban areas. Potential buyers must have lived or worked in Co Wicklow for at least 12 months.

The coastal village of Newcastle is six miles south of Greystones, a mile from the N11 and its link with the M50. With 232sq m (2,496sq ft) of accommodation, excluding the garage, there are four reception rooms, four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

The garage, accessed internally, is suitable for further conversion. House exteriors are in rendered concrete painted pink, trimmed with grey limestone, while the interiors are well proportioned.

A spacious feel is achieved via a double height galleried hall, a layout which has kitchen, dining and conservatory spanning the breadth of the house, and another such dual aspect offered in the large livingroom. There is access to the rear garden from the drawingroom, conservatory, kitchen and garage.

Many showhouse features are standard - such as desk/storage outfitting in study, fitted wardrobes by local company Newcastle Design, and a full range of integrated kitchen equipment. The study/playroom is to the left of the hall, as is the livingroom which has a simply elegant pale stone fireplace and polished granite hearth.

The kitchen, which flows into the conservatory, is fitted in maple and is hand-painted in cream and is also by Newcastle Design. A central island/breakfast bar has a large circular wooden food preparation area.

Two bedrooms are en suite. The main bedroom has a walk-in shelved dressingroom and the hot press with adjoining cloak room is also walk-in. Each of the shower rooms and bathroom have blonde floors and wall tiles giving a streamlined feel. Each house has its own cobblelock front driveway and lawn. The showhouse and its five front-facing companions look out onto hedgerows and some mature trees and have west-facing rear gardens while the rear-facing homes have open country views.