It’s an age old dilemma – a house in the country with great rural views or a city centre pad with all the benefits of having shops, bars, restaurants and theatres right on your doorstep.

(We’ve wrestled with this conundrum ourselves having lived in a village for years while from time to time casting envious eyes at those who have all that cityscape hustle and bustle just a walk away).

Well, the inventive folk at the Hungate development reckon they have come up with the answer… city centre homes with a taste of country living.

A series of four and five bed townhouses at this imaginative project have the advantage of views over the River Foss and the Foss Island nature reserve.

And, what’s more, townhouse residents will be able to watch the world go by from their own private space as all of the homes have either balconies or a roof terrace.

Together with landscaped communal gardens and riverside walks, it’s perhaps not surprising the developers believe this makes for the ideal city/country spot.

Just to add to the best of both worlds theme, the townhouses also offer some interesting contrasts. While this is very much a modern development (and high on eco-friendly, energy-preserving design) there is a great deal of the traditional on view.

The townhouses take many of their design ideas from the historic terraced homes for which York is famous and have traditional touches like high ceilings, deep skirting boards, coving and oak doors and balustrades – while also offering modern luxiuries like high spec kitchens with American-style fridge/freezers, integrated appliances and granite worktops as standard.

However, there is one thing that makes the Hungate townhouses very different from the traditional homes of the past – a much greater degree of flexibility.

Martina Collins, Hungate sales and marketing director, points out that today’s modern world looks for more flexible living with all the space in houses and apartments needing to be adaptable enough to have multiple uses – and particularly bedrooms.

She said: “People frequently use only two to three bedrooms on a regular basis and often have a variety of uses for spare rooms, from dressing rooms to music rooms, or simply just have some space away from family life.

“The four and five bed townhouses on the development are laid out to give the owners the flexibility to use the extra bedrooms as they wish. The fifth bedroom in particular leads on to a balcony and would make a very useful family room or guest suite as there is a fully fitted adjoining bathroom.”

In some of the properties, one of the top floor bedrooms has access to an attractive private roof terrace with fantastic views over the city – and this could become an entertainment room or a get-away-from-it-all spot. Townhouses at Hungate are priced from £425,000 to £525,000.

Further details are available from the sales team at the marketing suite, open daily 10am-6pm, telephone 01904 676797.