Show home unveiled at Derwenthorpe development (From York Press)

Show home unveiled at Derwenthorpe development

9:13am Tuesday 10th April 2012

IT HAS been a vision for decades, but dreams were finally turned to reality for Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT) over the Easter weekend when it unveiled the show home at Derwenthorpe eco-village in Osbaldwick.

The three storey, five-bed Kestrel is bristling with radical technology, much of it never seen before in the region, including rainwater harvesting, modern insulation methods to reduce fuel bills and heating from a central biomass boiler.

The house also comes as a four-bedroom model which offers an opportunity to build up into the attic as the family grows, rather than having to move.

Following in their founder’s principles, JRHT’s new development will ultimately comprise 540 homes.

Half will be affordable properties, with 135 homes to rent, 81 for part-ownership and some designed for disabled and elderly people. All are set in 18 acres of parkland, with ponds, mature and newly planted trees, cycle paths, and wildlife conservation areas.

JRHT’s Nigel Ingram said: “There have been so few family homes built in York over the last ten years and the problem with developments is they are very exclusive.

“Does it have to be like that? We believe introducing options and a mixture in incomes and tenures is more sustainable and we are more interested in how flexible and adaptable your home is to your changing needs.”

The Derwenthorpe scheme was contested for more than a decade involving planning and legal challenges by local residents opposed to the loss of green-belt land and concerned about additional traffic on local roads.

One challenge even went to the European Commission.

Finally, the foundations were laid last summer and 64 homes are almost ready to move into. The first residents will collect their keys next month.

• Don’t miss The Press tomorrow, when we will be looking in more detail at Derwenthorpe eco-village.