IT’S nice to start the New Year with good news…in this case the success story of the Ben Bailey Homes Royal Forest development at Huntington.

Launched in January last year, all but three of the properties at the project have now been sold.

Perhaps it is not so surprising. This is something of a flagship development for the Ben Bailey team. The builder set out with the intention of providing quality family-friendly homes at attractive price levels.

And the location – on the site of a former printworks, within easy reach of York city centre and a stroll away from two of York’s most highly regarded schools – will have helped considerably.

(Incidentally, while we are talking about location, the Royal Forest name comes from the fact that in ancient days the land around Huntington was a popular hunting ground for members of the aristocracy on the trail of deer).

These days it is house-hunting which is a more likely sport…particularly if you are aiming to snap up one of the homes few still to be sold here.

The remaining threesome are all ‘Kilmington’ style houses, two of them being semi-detached and the other a townhouse.

There are numerous highlights to admire within the Kilmington, but we particularly loved the layout of the living room, a spacious area with bi-folding doors opening to the garden, and flooding the room with lots of lovely light. (making you yearn for the arrival of Spring).

The open plan ‘Manhattan’ kitchen is also a real winner, with its range of contemporary wall and base units and integrated appliances including dishwasher, fridge-freezer and microwave. The ground floor is completed by a cloakroom and utility and storage areas.

Upstairs the master bedroom has fitted sliding wardrobes and an en-suite shower room and there is another double bedroom and a single, served by a house bathroom.

As Ben Bailey Homes’ sales and marketing director, Steve Rider, says: “The Kilmington is a wonderful house that would suit a variety of buyers – from young families to first-time buyers taking their first steps on the property ladder. We do not expect them to be on the market for much longer so would urge potential buyers to visit the development as soon as possible.”

The semi-detached Kilmingtons are priced at £244,950 and the town house is offered at £236,950.

The marketing suite at the development is open Thursday to Monday from 11am-5pm (but closed today, January 15). For more information on Royal Forest, phone 08442 579036.