THE first phase of 550-homes comes on the market tomorrow on a new Berkeley Homes development in Wycombe.

The initial release called The Glade will give buyers a choice of 129 two-, three- and four-bedroom homes in a variety of styles.

The first will be ready to move into early next year. Guide prices start at £385,000.

The site is not far from Berkeley’s earlier development near the retail park on the A40 London Road on the east side of town.

The new development will be on similar lines to Wye Dene.

The 34-acre scheme for Abbey Barn Park is split up into eight neighbourhoods each with its own identity. Several purchasers who started off as first time buyers at Wye Dene moved to larger houses on the development during the seven-year construction programme.

By the time the sales office finally shut up shop in January 2017, residents who lived on the 527-acre site included a couple who had originally bought a one bed flat but by then had graduated to a five bedroom house.

They’d been able to trade up without moving away from their friends and the amenities on the doorstep at Wye Dene.

The landscape of the housebuilder’s latest development on the outskirts of Wycombe has been designed to encourage those who live there to make the most of the great outdoors.

As well as existing parkland, Berkeley is adding allotments and a community orchard to the overall plan. There will also be nature trails, play areas and open spaces for children to let off steam.

The new houses won’t be built in straight lines. They’ll be arranged in boulevards with properties set back from the estate roads to create scope for large front gardens to encourage locals to get to know each other.

Benjamin Ivey, Berkeley’s regional sales and marketing director says one of the priorities is to lay footpaths into the neighbouring Dean Garden Wood.

The wood is classified as an Ancient Woodland and Site of Special Scientific Interest thanks to its wide range of wildlife. The developer will also open up a new public access to The Ride, a wide tree-lined avenue that once led to Daws Hill House, a listed farmhouse.

The sales boss promises: “We are determined to ensure the new development doesn’t affect biodiversity in the area. In fact we are confident that it will do the opposite. We have made a public pledge to achieve a net biodiversity gain across the whole site by thoughtful use of green spaces, meadows and wildlife corridors.”

A study last year by King’s College London proved that a few minutes each day spent listening to birdsong and communing with nature lifts the spirits. The Woodland Trust suggests the Japanese practice of “forest bathing” – spending time in woods each day – should be prescribed by GPs. Shrinrin yoku is said to boost your immune system, lower blood pressure and reduce stress.

“We have already had high levels of interest from nature lovers and parents who want their children to grow up with plenty of opportunity to play and socialise in the open air,” the developer reports.