Get Ridgewood headstart

But mere furlongs from the track, house-hunters are jockeying for a property at a new development called Ridgewood Manor.

The scheme is just a five-minute walk from the racecourse and is on the edge of The Curragh, a 5,000ac stretch of flat open plain. The first phase of Ridgewood Manor, launched last weekend, mainly consists of four-bed semi-detached family homes priced from €267,500. These properties have 1,636 sq ft of accommodation laid out over three floors. There is also one five-bed semi available in the phase, and it spans 2,110 sq ft and costs from €295,000.

Eleven of the 38 homes in the initial tranche at Ridgewood Manor have already been sold. However, there will be an opportunity to snap up a home there during later phases - when it is complete, the 10ac site will have around 100 four and five-bed houses, including detached dwellings.

The development is being built by Garyaron Homes, run by motor rally champion Austin McHale and his two rally driving sons Gareth and Aaron. The company has a long track record of building residential estates close to the M7 in south Dublin and Kildare.

The homes at Ridgewood Manor, which is located off the Melitta Road just outside Kildare Town, will likely appeal to buyers priced out of the housing market in Dublin and north Kildare, according to selling agent David Menton from CME Auctioneers. The four-bed timber frame homes in the current phase of the development have mixed-brick and render façades with granite windowsills, uPVC fascia and soffits, a dormer window in the roof and a Prestige hardwood four-panel front door with a three-point locking system.

The front driveways are cobble-locked, the rear boundary walls to the garden are block built and there is exterior lighting throughout.

Inside, there is recessed lighting and coving on the ground floor's nine foot high ceilings. A set of double doors connects the dining area and kitchen with the living room, where there is a marble fireplace with a wood-burning insert stove.

A skylight adds extra light to the fitted kitchen and island unit. The kitchen has ceramic tiling, and integrated appliances as standard, including a double oven, a ceramic hob, a stainless steel extractor fan, a dishwasher, fridge freezer, washing machine and a condensing tumble dryer. Patio doors from the parallel dining space lead out on to the rear garden.

The ensuite master bedroom and two other bedrooms are on the first floor, while the top floor is occupied by a fourth bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite. There is an electric shower in the main bathroom and a pumped shower in the ensuites.

The bathrooms and ensuites have heated towel rails and are fully tiled. Each of the bedrooms has built-in wardrobes.

Purchasers at Ridgewood Manor who are moving from older properties should benefit from much lower energy bills as the homes have an A3 energy rating thanks to features such as an air-to-water heat pump and PV panels on the roof that generate electricity.

The development itself is surrounded by a slew of amenities - for instance, the Irish National Stud, the Japanese Gardens and Cill Dara Golf Club are within walking distance. Ridgewood Manor is also a 10 minute walk from Kildare town's train station and, from there, it takes just 25 minutes to reach Dublin City Centre.

The town is also served by a frequent bus service to and from the capital. The M7 motorway, meanwhile, is a four-minute drive away, while Newbridge and the Whitewater Shopping Centre are a 10 minute drive.

Viewings at Ridgewood Manor will be held between 5pm and 7pm this evening, as well as between 12pm and 2pm tomorrow.