A CHARITY behind a competition for architects, developers and surveyors to design and build inspiring but affordable homes for 21st century York has announced the finalists.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), which is behind the Centenary Competition for new suburban homes, has shortlisted four teams of architects, developers and surveyors.

They will each receive £10,000 to develop their ideas into practical plans for a development of about six new homes that can be built on land available in the foundation's model village of New Earswick in York.

The prototype development will also enable the foundation to explore possible house designs for Derwenthorpe - the 540-mixed-income community planned on the east side of the city. The chosen teams are led by Conran & Partners, PfP Developments Ltd (of the Places for People Group), Cole Thompson Associates (Architects) and Richard Partington Architects.

The competition rules ask for designs that will be a suitable mix of houses and flats for sale and rent. The homes must be affordable as well as sustainable and their quality should not vary according to tenure.

Nigel Ingram, the foundation's director of development, said: "We are delighted by the excellent response to the competition, which presented our judges with some very tough choices. The challenge for the shortlisted teams is to produce imaginative homes that will set the highest possible standards for sustainable suburban homes in the 21st century and yet still be affordable."

The teams now have until July to develop their plans. The final decision will be taken by a panel of judges, advised by Les Sparks, former planning and architecture director for Birmingham, who is now a Commissioner at the Commission for Architecture And The Built Environment.

Pioneering housing designs which prove to be unworkable in practice will not impress judges - the contest aims to achieve a sustainable and affordable mix of houses and flats for sale and rent.

Through the project, the foundation hopes to make a similar contribution to suburban housing to meet the needs of a new century as it did with New Earswick.

Designed 100 years ago for Joseph Rowntree by Parker and Unwin, the garden village's designs and layout have proved popular and influential.

Expressions of interest were invited from teams of architects, quantity surveyors and developers with experience in the design and build of medium-density residential developments. Judges next meet on July 15 to choose the winning entry.

Updated: 10:23 Thursday, April 28, 2005