Homes with internal width of under 12ft being built

New houses being built near Greystones, Co Wicklow, and marketed at growing families, have an internal width of less than 12 feet, it has emerged.

The new houses, part of the Charlesland Wood development south of Greystones village, cost from €294,950 for a two-bedroom, mid-terrace house.

At 3630 mm wide - or just 11.9 feet - the houses are about four-and-a-half times wider than an open copy of The Irish Times. Charlesland Wood is part of a greater Charlesland scheme of almost 1,400 homes in apartments, duplexes and townhouses.

The first phase of Charlesland Wood, which went on sale off the plans earlier this summer, was "virtually sold out" within hours, according to selling agents Hamilton Osborne King. Phase two was then released, and is reportedly selling well.

House "type A"- the one with the internal width of 11.9 feet (the external width would be about 12.9 feet including the external walls) - avoids the traditional design of a hallway running from the front door alongside the living room.

Instead, it has an entrance foyer immediately in front of the living room. The hall, stairs and lavatory are in the middle of the house, immediately behind the living room, with the upstairs bathroom also in the middle of the house.

Because of this layout, neither the downstairs lavatory nor the upstairs bathroom has any windows - this causes an absence of natural light and ventilation. The downstairs lavatory is roughly four feet square, while the upstairs bathroom is about six feet by seven-and-a-half feet.

The kitchen runs the width of the house at 11.9 feet, and is 10.4 feet deep. The kitchen itself does not have any external windows or doors - it has just three sides, the fourth side opening onto the conservatory, through which access to the garden is gained. The conservatory also runs the width of the house and is 11.9 feet by just under nine feet deep.

The two upstairs bedrooms are 11.9 feet by about nine feet, and 11.9 feet by about 10 feet.

The houses are marketed towards young families. According to Charlesland Wood's own website, charleslandwoods.com: "For raising a family, Greystones offers incomparable choice and freedom ... Its primary and secondary schools are of the very highest standards." Shops include "bijous (sic) boutiques and quaint antique shops". The blurb adds that "adjoining Charlesland Wood itself, there are exciting proposals for business and technology parks".

The complex is described as "an attractive new development of two and three-bedroom townhouses and duplex homes on a beautiful site only a short walk from the seaside and town of Greystones, a bustling village in a welcoming community".

The cheapest home in Charlesland Wood is a two-bedroom apartment of 715 square feet for €269,500. These apartments are over 18 feet wide.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Environment said there were no guidelines which would cover the internal space in such homes.