Starter scheme with plenty of space for the kids

Ashbourne from €264,995:   There are two certainties with family living. Children need to play outdoors and parents need to be comfortable indoors while also keeping an eye on them.

This essential family requirement is said to be the linchpin of a new development called Ashewood that will be launched this weekend by Sherry FitzGerald on Hunters Lane in Ashbourne, Co Meath. Avoiding apartments and focusing on what the developers believe families really want, they have built a series of two, three and four-bedroom homes with good-sized gardens and private driveways that are priced from €264,995, €269,995 and €354,995 respectively.

The architect, O'Mahoney Pike, designed the streets and cul-de-sacs around pockets of open green space and the development really is within walking distance of Ashbourne shopping centre which, believe it or not, is actually in the centre of Ashbourne.

The neighbouring development is mature and already well integrated with the rest of the town and its facilities, so there is no sense of being isolated on the outskirts.

A two-bedroom house with study and 91sq m (980sq ft) costs €264,995 - the study could easily be used as a third bedroom. The kitchen diningroom leads off the entrance hallway and both it and the sittingroom on the other side of the hallway have double glass doors leading out to the back garden.

Three-bedroom homes of 103sq m (1,109sq ft) start at €269,995 for a mid-terrace and €285,000 for an end-terrace. There is also a three-bedroom detached house with 111sq m (1,195sq ft) from €350,000.

A row of four-bedroom detached homes front onto Hunters Lane and face the older estate. Priced from €354,995 to €365,000, they range in size from 124-135sq m (1,335-1,453sq ft). The integrated kitchen and dining areas in the four-bedroom homes are particularly well appointed and the kitchen units in this home come with granite worktops.

Modern kitchen units and gas fires with surround are included in all homes and all have gas-fired central heating. Flooring and electrical appliances are not included, although bathrooms come fitted and partly tiled.

Ashbourne is a commute to Dublin but an increasingly comfortable one with the N2 road development works improving the town's link to the M50 and the city.

Viewing starts today.