Swords: A development of townhouses and apartments between Swords and Malahide should attract first-time buyers. Kate McMorrow reports.

Good location and affordable prices are the main draw at the latest Albany Homes development at Feltrim near Swords in Co Dublin.

Hamilton Osborne King, which has arranged for people in "Charlie Haughey" masks to direct people to the site, will be taking bookings at show houses opening on Saturday. Prices start at €229,950 for two-bedroom apartments of 60 to 71 sq m (704 to 764 sq ft). Mid-terrace townhouses with 76 to 87 sq m (818 to 937 sq ft) of living space cost from €249,950 and three-bedroom end-of-terrace houses of 92 sq m (990 sq ft) are from €284,950.

Feltrim Hall is located off Feltrim Road, in a residential area between Swords and Malahide. The approach at present is via the Malahide Road, turning off opposite Kinsealy Church. However, a direct link to the M1 motorway is planned which will considerably shorten the journey to the city.

About 113 units are going on sale in this first phase out of 244 in the entire development. The townhouses are arranged in terraces of three, four, five and six and the apartment blocks are two and three-storey, so buyers can be assured there will be no high-rise element at Feltrim Hall.

With just 40 apartments on release, townhouses are in the majority. The two-bedroom mid-terrace houses are a good first step on the ladder for first-timers. These have a tiny landscaped front patch and a porched front door. Wardrobes are fitted in all bedrooms and there are en suites, downstairs toilets and fenced back gardens.

Kitchens overlook the front, with a tiny breakfast nook by the window. Units are maple-look slab with steel accessories and neutral wall tiling. A guest toilet is tucked under the stairs. The sitting/diningroom area is at the back of the house, with a fireplace and glass doors opening to the back garden. Upstairs are two double bedrooms, one en suite, and the main bathroom.

Three-bedroom end-of-terrace houses will be popular with viewers. A very practical layout includes a good diningroom at the front, interlinking through an arch to the kitchen, which is centrally placed in the house.

Through double doors from the kitchen is the sittingroom, which spans the back of the house and is a good size. A guest toilet is off the hallway. Upstairs, the main bedroom takes up the width of the house to the front, with an en suite shower room. Bedroom two will just fit a small double bed and the third room is a single, all with wardrobes.

Back gardens are town-sized, with a reasonable stretch of seeded lawn. Two-bedroom apartments are arranged two at ground floor level and two on the first floor. They are low-rise and have the appearance of a pair of houses rather than an apartment block.

The location is about to expand hugely and is worth exploring. Feltrim and Kinsealy villages are settled residential areas with local shops and pubs and a protected green belt area stretching to Malahide.

A local shopping centre is planned for the next phase at Feltrim Hall and provision has been made for a primary school, crèche and medical centre. The first units are expected to be ready to move into from late spring 2004 onwards.

Viewing is this Saturday and Sunday. Following difficulties in obtaining permission for a signboard on the Malahide Road, Hamilton Osborne King has come up with an unusual way of directing viewers to the Feltrim Hall site. Once past Kinsealy church, look out for people dressed up in "Charlie Haughey" masks holding direction signs. You won't miss them.