Three new types of expensive showhomes have been launched at The Steeples on Oxford’s Barton Park estate.

Housebuilder Redrow has introduced the four-bedroom Ashmolean available from £665,000, the three-bed Holywell II from £537.500 and the detached Sheldonian IV from £599,995.

The Steeples is part of a wider scheme at Barton Park by Grosvenor and Oxford City Council.

Forty per cent of the 885 homes on the development are owned by the council and will be rented to people on the housing waiting list.

A Twitter storm broke out last year when it emerged that a home in a part of the estate called Mosaics was on sale for £1.17million.

Residents said the price was “staggering” and would not help the city’s dire affordable housing crisis.

Roz Smith, councillor for Headington, said she “believes in integrated housing” but “with prices like this, Oxford will continue to have a massive deficit of affordable homes.”

Redrow say The Steeples is intended to become a “21st century garden suburb” and that the new neighbourhood is one of the most advanced of the NHS England Healthy New Town sites laid out to encourage residents to live more active lives.

Sarah Boyce, sales director for Redrow Thames Valley, said: “We are excited to have opened the doors to our new showhomes.

“The properties at this development really do tick all the boxes, with gardens and flexible indoor space for a study, gym or playroom, which are higher than ever on househunters’ requirements.

“With a series of individually designed ‘pocket parks’ established within the streetscape, the development is designed to create opportunities for residents to enjoy being outdoors, making it an ideal location to strike a work life balance.”

The four-bedroom Ashmolean has an open plan kitchen, dining and family area and a separate lounge. Upstairs the master bedroom has an ensuite bathroom and there are three further bedrooms.

The Holywell II is a three-bedroom property with a kitchen with a utility room and an open plan lounge. The master bedroom has an ensuite bathroom, the second double features a Juliet balcony and the third could be used as a home office or gym.

The detached Sheldonian IV features a family kitchen and utility room with a lounge and open plan dining area, overlooking the garden. Upstairs the master bedroom has an ensuite bathroom, and the further three bedrooms could be repurposed as a home office or playroom.

Redrow said the new community was thriving with the creation of a new primary school, community pavilion and sports pitches. “Our homes are proving incredibly popular both at this development, and in the Oxford region as a whole, thanks to their proximity to green open space and excellent transport links to Oxford and London.”

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