“WOW,” says Ella, the girl from the PR company. “This is huge – it’s bigger than the whole of my last flat put together!”

The enthusiasm is understandable. We are looking at a bedroom the size of a tennis court (well, perhaps a slight exaggeration – but not by much).

It is a top-floor bedroom in the Swallow-style home at the Joseph Rowntree Housing-David Wilson Homes collaboration at Derwenthorpe, one of three show homes to illustrating the qualities of the houses being built on the second and third phases of this ground-breaking eco-development.

As it turns out there will be “wow” moments aplenty as we take the tour of these impressive properties.

We are in the Seebohm Quarter, situated at the end of Fifth Avenue, which makes for an interesting juxtaposition as the stretch of that street of 1930s solid semis gives way to Derwenthorpe’s more futuristic feel. With its high, sloped rooftops, chrome-fenced balconies and mix of red brick and glittering glass and a flare of changing colours, this is very much a 21st century development.

One for which the awards have been stacking up since it was first launched with environmentally-friendly living very much in mind.

The trophy-winning quality looks set to continue with the 230 new homes on Seebohm and a further 121 on the neighbouring Lotherington Quarter.

Quality, incidentally, which has been very much appreciated by York people – DWH tell us that an impressive 79 per cent of homes sold so far on the second and third phases have been snapped up by local buyers.

There are numerous home styles to choose from across the Seebohm and Lotherington patches but we concentrated our attention on the three available show home types.

Size doesn’t always matter, but sometimes it does… And that is what first strikes you about these homes. The sheer sense of space. They all have great high ceilings, huge windows and sprawling floor spaces, accentuated by the fact that (true to the original mission) there are extra wide doorways and staircases to cater for wheelchair access.

And each have little extras adding to that spacious sense – whether it is an extra large landing to create a sitting or reading space, a cleverly-designed home office or a balcony giving views of the surrounding area.

And they all have their individual styles and designs as illustrated by the show home trio.

We started in the Greenfinch, a sprawling, light-filled family home where there is a large lounge to the ground floor with full-height windows and doors opening onto a terrace and garden area. The kitchen is beautifully fitted and there is a useful ground-floor cloakroom.

On the first floor two bedrooms share a house bathroom and there is ample landing space for a computer desk (or for the more traditionally minded, a reading area). The master bedroom suite on the first floor is big and beautiful with a smart en-suite shower room and a walk-in wardrobe.

We then moved on to the Swallow, described by the DWH team – and accurately – as “perfect for modern-day family living”.

The “wow” moments here start on the ground floor, where you step into a huge (25ft) dining lounge with windows to the front and patio doors opening to the garden at the back. This area is open to the swish kitchen dressed in high black wall and base units with quartz worktops sparkling under twinkling downlights.

It’s the proverbial to-die-for space, an ideal entertaining collection, just the thing for family meals, parties and general get-togethers.

Upstairs the Swallow has two double bedrooms, a family bathroom and a generous home office/study.

And then comes the top floor – and the master bedroom which prompted PR girl Ella’s involuntary “wow” expression.

It is quite a brilliant room, 17ft by 17ft, superbly set out with a luxury en-suite shower room and with doors opening onto a covered balcony.

All in all, a quite simply superb home.

And now for the Dove, the final show home of the three. This is perhaps not quite so grand as the Swallow but it is every bit as bright in terms of how it makes the most of light and space.

This is a two-storey home with a large lounge/dining room (again with patio doors to the garden), a smartly set out and well-fitted separate kitchen, a ground floor cloakroom and storage area. There are three bedrooms upstairs and a family bathroom.

There will be, you suspect, more awards to come for Derwenthorpe to add to its already bulging trophy cabinet.

 

• FURTHER INFORMATION

Prices range from £224,995 to £406,995 for two, three and four bedroom homes on the Lotherington Quarter and from £241,995 to £319,995 for two and three bedroom homes on the Seebohm Quarter.

The Government’s Help to Buy scheme is available on the development – and has already helped first-time buyers in particular into the new homes.

Further information: Telephone David Wilson Homes sales team on 08448 115 515.