The 'his and hers' Sandbanks homes on the market for a whopping £13m

The near-identical properties stand just a few feet apart and are being sold either individually or as a pair should a wealthy couple wish to have their own matching homes.

The beachfront properties called la Plage and la Baie share a 3,000 square metre plot of land that is situated in a prime position on the millionaire's enclave in Poole Harbour, Dorset.

A three bedroom house had occupied the site until it was bought for £4.25m and then demolished.

Developers have eked out every square inch of the plot by splitting it in two and building the two, four storey houses that have gone on the market for £6.5m each.

One has five en-suite bedrooms and the other four but they both have indoor swimming pools, balconies, lifts to all floors, direct beach access and magnificent sea views.

It is thought the developers have spent more than three million pounds building the two homes.

Tom Doyle, of estate agents Lloyds Property Group which is selling both properties, said the homes could suit a couple who like their independence.

He said: "Development opportunities are becoming scarcer on Sandbanks and so prices for older houses are going up.

"Developers need to maximise the space available in order to make money. It is becoming harder to financially justify building one home on a plot and so we are now seeing two homes appear.

"Although a lot of the plots are quite deep you can't spread out or go beyond the existing building line so you have build upwards as much as the planning authorities will allow.

"Both these properties are built over four levels, with the bedrooms on the upper two floors.

"They are very much high end in terms of their quality.

"It would be nice to sell them as a pair, to someone who either wants to live in one and rent out the other or even to a couple who want their own his and her homes.

"I can also see them appealing to middle-age professionals who want them as a second home."

The trend of building new luxury homes on plots meant for one is a growing one on Sandbanks, the fifth most expensive place in the world to buy property.

The two properties are situated in the south east corner of the Sandbanks peninsula and are very close to the home of former Premier League football manager Harry Redknapp.

Over the last two decades Sandbanks has become a millionaire's playground with dozens of luxury beachfront mansions being built and sold for up to £12 million.

In 2013 one property on Sandbanks sold for the equivalent of 1,725 pounds per square foot, which is a record for the area.