Having spent his life working for some of the country's biggest house builders, it was perhaps a gamble when London-born Stephen Day gave it all up to join an embryonic company in Bradford.

After all, your typical Southener might have scoffed at the idea there's much of a demand for luxury, innovative homes in this part of the world.

Two years on from its birth, however, Magellan Residential is proving them wrong.

Sitting in the boardroom at the firm's stylish new headquarters on the canal side in Shipley, the managing director certainly has no regrets.

Although Magellan is still in its infancy - employing just ten staff - it has already built itself a reputation for quality in the industry and a £15 million turnover.

And that's quite an achievement considering it all began almost by chance just two years ago.

The directors of the long-established Bradford company Robinson Design Group spotted an opportunity when the historic Grade II listed former college building at the foot of Ilkley Moor, Wells House, came on the market.

The beautiful old building, which enjoys one of the prime spots in the booming Wharfe Valley, seemed ripe for conversion into luxury accommodation for the discerning house buyer.

Robinsons' commercial arm Magellan Properties quickly snapped-up the building, and then established Magellan Residential to look after the project.

"It was purely an opportunity," explained Mr Day. "We bought the site and did the development and then Magellan Residential really grew out of that."

The board of the Robinson group, led by father and son team Harold and James Robinson, then recruited Mr Day to head the new company.

Twenty-four months on, Magellan Residential has now built prestigious schemes in York, Leeds, Harrogate, and most recently Guiseley.

The company's visionary transformation of the former tram terminus building turned Arnold Laver DIY store at White Cross is another indication of the developer's eye for the unusual.

Within a week of the first show apartment opening, 14 of the 21 apartments had been snapped up.

And Mr Day - who has been involved with developing brownfield sites into prestigious apartments in the south for years - is convinced that reflects a change in attitudes among northern house buyers.

"Up here, apartment living has only really come about in the last three or four years, but it has been big down South for a long time," he said. "It just goes to show the benefits of a high quality development and a good location.

"The potential is far greater here as people get used to city living and apartment living. Three years ago not many people lived in apartments and preferred two-up, two-downs, but now three-storey living is becoming the norm."

Magellan is keen to take advantage of that, while at the same time retain the qualities of being a small firm.

The company is focused on the high-quality end of the market and its various developments to date have been noted for their distinctive features.

"We want to be proud of the developments we construct and we are looking very hard for new opportunities," explained Mr Day.

"We are basically going into areas where we feel our products will work and where people are willing to pay a premium for it. I have always been involved in the quality end of the market."

But he admitted that working for an up-and-coming firm where he has played a pivotal role in putting the team together is quite different from his time working with major players such as Crest, Barratt and Wimpy.

"It is nice to have the flexibility and not be constricted by costs or by the head office," he said. "We have much more time to develop our schemes, right down to the fine details. Each scheme is totally different and we want to make sure that each scheme is something we want to do."

And - although his accent gives a broad hint he's far from a Yorkshireman - Mr Day, 44, has no regrets about making the move north with his wife and two daughters.

"I have moved up here for a lifestyle change and it has been very enjoyable for myself and for my family," he said.

"This is still a family firm - it is a very small and close knit team. The people I have brought in are people I know from my time in the business and I wanted to make sure that they were both the right quality and that they would fit in with the ethos of the company. I think they like the difference."

Magellan Residential, with its background in the Robinson group which also features architects, engineers, and environmental consultants, seems to be in a strong position to take advantage of the on-going boom in the housing market. But can it be sustained?

"We feel this is very much the right area for development," he said. "There is a lot of talk about the downturn in the market but we think that is very much a South East-based problem.

"Here we are building high quality schemes and we believe there will always be a market for that. We certainly haven't seen anything to suggest otherwise."

But in a sense, Magellan has played it safe so far. There's little risk in building prestigious apartments in Ilkley, Harrogate, York, and high-class Roundhay Park in Leeds.

Mr Day is quick to point to Magellan's recent acquisitions of sites in Huddersfield and Halifax. How about looking a bit closer to home?

Group director James Robinson is very insistent the company that was founded in 1947 remains fiercely proud of its Bradford roots - its offices were on a site next to the University until the move to Shipley 12 months ago.

He rejected the suggestion Magellan isn't interested in Bradford, pointing out the group's commercial arm is one of the major partners in the £200 million Broadway project.

And he said Magellan Residential was "watching with interest" the success of the current city living schemes under way in Little Germany and on Manor Row.

"I still perceive this as a Bradford company and Bradford is really emerging as a city centre," he said. "We are looking at one or two prime sites for possible city living apartments and also at sites in Shipley."

Mr Day adds: "There's definitely a ripple effect coming out of Leeds. I wouldn't look to develop in Leeds itself any more because I think it's too hot and there's quite a lot of large schemes coming on line there.

"We are more interested in the sites on the periphery. We are looking for opportunities where there is potential for growth rather than following the crowd. Places like Shipley have got really good links into Leeds and people are increasingly looking to this area."

It might not be long before Bradford's very own prestigious residential developer is playing an active part in the city's regeneration.