CONSTRUCTION work has started on a £5m housing development.

Building has started on a 40-home development in Bowburn after the Durham Villages Regeneration Company completed the purchase of land to the south of Oakfield Crescent.

Developers say they have amended their place for the site with several proposed two-storey townhouses replaced with bungalows following concerns expressed during local consultation.

Revised proposals were granted final planning permission last month and a show home is now expected to open on the site in August.

The development of two, three and four-bedroomed properties will include homes for sale and rent, including two for discounted sale and six for rent through Cestria Housing.

Durham Villages Regeneration Company is a partnership between Durham County Council and private developer Keepmoat.

The final go-ahead for the Bowburn project – the company’s sixth in the village - follows approval for another £11m development at Sherburn Hill, where 81 homes are now being built.

Ian Prescott, Keepmoat Land and Partnerships Director, said: “Both developments have been brought forward on the back of extensive public consultation and discussion and they will bring much-needed affordable housing to the county.

“At Bowburn we worked with the council to address some local concerns about proximity to existing homes and have been able to increase the distance between properties and reduce the impact of the development for those who will overlook it by introducing a number of bungalows.

“Once again this scheme will improve the quality and choice of housing in the county and help meet the ever increasing demand for new homes”.

The company claims that the majority of its sales to date have been to local buyers, with 55 per cent of all sales have been to people living within 10 miles of a new development.