YET more expensive homes are going on sale at Oxford’s newest housing estate.

Buyers can now reserve one of the 207 three-and-four-bedroom new builds at The Steeples – the latest part of the Barton Park development.

The first round of homes will be finished in March 2021 and will be priced from £594,995 for a three-bed and £659,995 and £782,995 for four-beds.

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With 885 homes in total, Barton Park is a joint venture between Oxford City Council and Grosvenor, the estate owned by the Duke of Westminster.

Nearly half of the homes, 40 per cent, are owned by the council and will be rented to people on the housing waiting list.

Earlier this month a £1.17m house on another part of the estate called the Mosiacs site prompted outrage on Twitter.

Residents said the price was ‘staggering’ and would not help solve the city’s dire housing crisis.

Others said it would be ‘criminal’ if it was not sold soon, leaving the house empty and unused, but questioned who the perfect buyer of the house would be.

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

Developers at the new Steeples site boasted: “[This development] is a commitment to creating a ‘21st century garden suburb’, complete with green space, stylish homes and a strong sense of community.”

The new neighbourhood is one of the NHS Healthy New Town developer sites which means the layout is built to encourage anybody who lives there to live more active lifestyles.

Sarah Boyce, the sales director of Redrow Homes Thames Valley, said: “We’re really excited to launch the Steeples on site and cannot wait to showcase what the development has to offer and help prospective home buyers reserve their dream home.”

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The Clarendon II three bedroom home, priced from £594,994, has a lounge, kitchen, utility and cloakroom on the ground floor.

On the first floor there is one bedroom and a family sized bathroom with a Juliet balcony.

On the second floor there are two bedrooms, each with an en-suite.

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The four-bedroom Bodleian I, priced from £659,995, has an open kitchen and dining area, garden, master bedroom with en-suite and three other bedrooms with a family sized bathroom.

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The Blenheim, priced at £782,995, is another four-bedroom plan with an open plan kitchen-dining area, a master bedroom with a balcony and en-suite and three spacious double bedrooms.

The developers added: “The Steeples gives you the very best of both worlds. Bordered by stunning Oxfordshire countryside, yet with the culture, colleges and community of the city within easy reach, the development is the ideal location for couples and families alike.”