Property for sale: Homes now being sold in tranquil country park village and spa in the heart of Derbyshire

Built from Derbyshire stone in the heart of the Dales, a new community is transforming a post-industrial landscape and bringing new life to an abandoned quarry next to the Peak District National Park.

On a hill overlooking the historic town of Matlock, framed by the sweeping contours of the Derwent Valley and with spectacular views, Matlock Spa is taking shape, the first phase of a series of villages with 500 homes in total, building on the spa tradition of towns such as Matlock and Buxton in Derbyshire, with a focus on health and wellbeing.

Matlock Spa is the vision of Charles Rifkind, a landowner and social entrepreneur, working with award-winning David Morley Architects, to create a new place to live, with high quality, sustainable homes designed to blend in with the rugged beauty of the area, with its wild woodland, lakes, ancient gorges and dales.

When completed, the five new villages will each have their own character and range of homes to appeal to a range of buyers, from young professionals, families to downsizers.

The development will feature a series of crescents in the classical tradition, woodland lodges, courtyard cottages and villas, all built using local stone and slate, to reflect the local architectural style and connecting with the topography and geology of its setting - the former Cawdor Quarry, which provided the stone used in the construction of Hyde Park Corner and the Thames Embankment in London.

The villages will be linked by an ecology park.

The Duke of Devonshire, whose family seat, Chatsworth, is eight miles away, praised Matlock Spa on a recent visit, commenting: “It will change Derbyshire.”

Charles Rifkind, who acquired the former quarry and set out on a long and complex planning process which took nearly 20 years to complete, said: “We have set out to create a new place of beauty and architectural merit that will stand the test of time, reflecting this extraordinary setting.

"This will be home to around two thousand people, who will be proud to live there. We want Matlock Spa to establish positive principles for creating high quality homes that enhance the landscape in other parts of England, rather than the nondescript housing delivered by some of the major housebuilders.”

A large rocky outcrop from the original quarry creates a dramatic entrance to the first phase, consisting of 58 homes at Gateway Spa and part of Crescent Spa, featuring a collection of beautifully designed apartments in spa villas and a mill-style building of loft apartments, all with private balconies; a crescent of terraced cottages and a collection of townhouses.

The new villages will also have flexible business units with grass roofs and solar panels. There is space at the gateway for a convenience store and a café.

In the first phase, there are three bedroom terraced houses, four bedroom townhouses available and a range of two bedroom apartments and penthouses available for sale and to rent.

Prices start from £330,000 for two bedroom apartments, £475,000 for two bedroom penthouses, £425,000 for three bedroom terraced cottages and four bedroom townhouses from £500,000.

For sales information, contact Anthony Taylor of Fine and Country at [email protected] and for details of the development visit www.matlockspa.com