FILEY has long been regarded as one of the most genteel spots on the Yorkshire coast. It has its share of faded grandeur and more teashops than a town of its size (population 7,000) deserves.

And until 1983 Filey was also synonymous with Butlins. For 40 years there was a huge holiday camp three miles to the south of the town. Changing holiday habits led to its demise, and the site stood derelict.

Wayne Low, director of the property developers Essential Vivendi, bought it nine years ago. It has taken almost that long to obtain planning permission for his £120 million holiday village, known simply as The Bay. Now the builders are working every day to get the first homes ready for occupation in May.

With barely any marketing so far, 131 have already sold off-plan. Potential buyers should be aware that although the first phase is scheduled for completion by 2008, there are five phases in total. This means living with the builders until 2011.

BACKGROUND

• The cost of a sea view

• Bargains on the coast

• FOCUS ON . . . TRURO

• Do floods scupper sales?

• Once more unto the beach

Seaside house prices soar

City-dwellers driving up property prices by the sea

• The boom town rocks

BACKGROUND

• From winos to wine bars

BACKGROUND

• Ramsgate rules

• Shoreham gets trendy

• The coast’s next wave

• House Hunter: Sideways to Brighton

• A change in the tide

“I want this to be the most upmarket holiday development in the country,” says Low. “And I am confident that we can do that.” At first sight, it looks as if all the battles with the planning committee were worth fighting. What Low is building is not so much a development as a whole new holiday community on the clifftop. The situation, with views straight out to sea and towards Flamborough Head, is stunning.

The 689 cottages and apartments will all be constructed of proper bricks and mortar and come in 20 styles, with names like Maritime, a 985-sq-ft three-bedroom cottage, and Plymouth, a 620-sq-ft two-bedroom apartment. These will be arranged in streets and terraces, and will eventually include a Victorian crescent overlooking the sea.

“What we’re aiming for in phase 1 is the feel of an old fishing village,” Low says. “We’re taking architectural inspiration from Poundbury [the Prince of Wales’s new-build ‘traditional’ estate in Dorset].” That means rustic bricks from the Netherlands, a mixture of slate and tiled roofs, UPvc sash windows and ornamental chimney pots, some of which come in a shade of pink desperately in need of weathering. The interior fit-out is contemporary and neutral, with integrated kitchen appliances. Insulation is top-notch, vital on this often wild and windy coast.

Phase 1 comprises 168 one-bedroom apartments, costing from £115,000 for 441 sq ft, and two and three-bedroom cottages with prices starting at £151,000 for upwards of 665 sq ft, on 999-year leases. In the smaller units especially, these are not the most generous of proportions. There is at least one parking space per property, but not a lot of private outdoor space.

However, it is worth remembering that these are holiday homes and are subject to residential strictures. You can’t move in here permanently. Although they are subject to council tax they can be occupied by one person (or party) for only six months of every year. They may be let, either privately or through the management company, which will also offer a concierge service — which would be in addition to the annual service charge of £3,000. That covers all the external upkeep of the holiday homes, as well as maintenance of the 100 acres of “amenity land” which lead down to more than 600 yards of Blue Flag private beach.

There has been the inevitable “mixed reaction” from locals. Last September, David Murton, chairman of Filey’s planning committee, told the Filey Mercury: “There is still concern about the impact on the area’s infrastructure, such as the medical services.” Low says that there will be a doctor’s surgery, as well as shops, a restaurant, hotel, leisure centre and spa.

All that fresh air and good living might make you feel virtuous, but unless you take the leisurely 40-minute walk along the beach to Filey at low tide it is inevitable that you will end up driving every time you want to go anywhere. Would you be prepared to jump in the car just to escape from your holiday neighbours, though? This, rather than any reservations about living in an ersatz fisherman’s cottage with plastic windows, will be the deciding factor for many potential purchasers. Score 4/5

FACTFILE

-The average price of a property in Filey is £153,647 (Land Registry, July-September 2006). Up the coast in fashionable Whitby, it’s £194,302.

- Overall growth in Filey property values has been 16.8 per cent over the past five years, according to the property website www.mouseprice.co.uk.

- The price of detached houses locally has fallen from an average of £233,068 in the autumn of 2005 to the current figure of £198,415.

- For details of The Bay, contact Essential Vivendi on 0800 6121621, www.thebayfiley.com

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