A PROPERTY company has been given an award for new houses built at a former nursing home in Ross-on-Wye because of their contemporary design.

Freeman Homes, which is part of the MF Freeman group, have converted the former Chestnuts residential home into three apartments and have built two new lodges and four detached homes.

The development, which is in The Avenue, took bronze in the Best Development category in the WhatHouse awards.

Luke Freeman, joint chief executive, and Peter Wharton, finance director, attended the awards at the Grosvenor House in London.

Sales and marketing senior manager Hayley Coombs said: "We were very pleased. WhatHouse is quite a prestigious award to win."

The development is almost completed with the first owners set to move in on December 1.

Prices range from a one-bedroom apartment for £195,000 to a 3,000-square-foot four bedroom house for £745,000.

The design is contemporary. Features include large bi-fold doors to open up the inside to the outside and strategically positioned windows to ensure light floods into the houses throughout the day.

Hayley added: "It is quite different to have something like that in Ross as it is very different.

"There is nothing like it on the market. I guess it is a risky development for us but we like to build what people want and people like contemporary."