Small, select developments... big and beautiful houses. That makes for a winning combination, says Brian Page.

THE world, as they say, is a small place – and transport links are shrinking it further.

So the two new homes developments we are looking at this week might be slightly further from York than we would normally wander but both share the qualities of having great commuter links on the doorstep... while also having the advantage of being in ‘get-away-from-it-all’ spots.

The first of these is at North Ferriby, on the way to Hull. It’s a Linden Homes development for which the term small but perfectly formed might have been invented.

There are just three homes here, making Spire Chase – as it has been named – a very select community. And while the development may be small, the houses most certainly are not, they are big... and beautiful.

For instance, plot one has five bedrooms, the master of which has a dressing room and an en-suite, while there is a guest bedroom which also has an en-suite bathroom.

The ground floor has masses of space, too, with a large lounge with doors opening to the rear garden, a family room to the front, a study, dining kitchen – and a formal dining room.

Throw in a double garage and utility room and you get a sense of the style and space on offer. It is a lovely home to look at, too, having – as do all three homes – a lovely mellow cream façade.

Plot two has been reserved so we will skip quickly to plot three, another spacious family home with a huge amount to offer.

It has a lounge with doors through to a family room, a study, breakfast kitchen and separate dining room (and there is a pantry, utility room and downstairs cloaks).

Upstairs, the master bedroom has a dressing room and en-suite and there are three further bedrooms (one of which also has an en-suite).

A double garage and gardens complete the package.

Sadly, all this space and style does not come cheap. The five-bedroomed house has a guide price of £795,000 and the four-bed £650,000.

If you like the sound of this small, select and beautifully put-together development, contact the Linden Homes marketing manager Gizzy Murray on 01482 359360, or visit www.lindenhomes.

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Meanwhile, having gone east we’re now heading west, to Scarcroft, five miles from Leeds and with good access roads to Harrogate and York, to look at a Shepherd Homes development, The Fairways.

This, again, is an exclusive development in this case having only 11 four, five and six-bedroom homes – available in a range of individual designs.

Tracy Isles, sales manager for Shepherd Homes, is excited by the launch of this, the York-based company’s newest development.

“We are building luxury houses to a very high quality,” she says. “The development has an ideal location within the ‘Yorkshire Triangle’. It is the perfect place for those people seeking a beautiful family home in an equally beautiful location.”

The home styles on offer are all different but we’ve focused, as an example, on the ‘Pickering’-style house which has proven highly popular at other Shepherd developments – including the Welham Park site just outside Malton and Norton, where we had the chance to have a look around earlier this year.

“A great mix of style and substance,” is how the Linden team describe this home.

The Pickering has a spacious living room, a separate dining room and a large, bright and airy, fully-fitted contemporary kitchen with breakfast area and adjoining family room (both with bifolding doors onto the rear garden).

The first floor has four bedrooms (one with en-suite facilities) and a modern family bathroom.

The top floor is dedicated entirely to the spacious master bedroom with its own dressing area and en-suite wet room.

The Pickering is priced at £539,950. Prices at the development generally start from £339,950.

For more information, call the sales team on 01642 788873 or go to www.shepherdhomes.com.