A HOUSEBUILDER has revealed plans to create and support up to 360 jobs in a £176m site expansion.

Avant Homes North-East says it expects to deliver new roles across sales and construction, as well as safeguarding existing positions, on six new estates.

The Sunderland-based operator will build 756 homes across the region, with developments at Birtley, near Chester-le-Street; Chilton, near Ferryhill; and Guisborough, east Cleveland.

Bosses say the new sites will enable the business to continue accelerating towards its target of becoming a £500m turnover, 2,000-unit company across its operations in central Scotland, the North-East, Yorkshire and the Midlands.

Scott Varley, Avant Homes North-East managing director, said: “We are on a fast-moving trajectory and our momentum can only be maintained by securing new sites in the right locations and for the best price.

“Our land buying team has been outstanding over the past 15 months in finding excellent development opportunities and this has provided the platform for continued sustainable, profitable growth.

“The fact that as a group we were one of only three UK housebuilders regularly applying for sites with more than 150 units during last year is important.

“It shows both our ambition and the continued growing demand for our product throughout the North-East and our operations.”

The company last year revealed it had secured a £200m bank facility from HSBC, RBS, Santander and Bank of Ireland to increase deals for land over the next 12 months.

For the financial year to April 30 2017, the firm posted record revenue and operating profit.

Revenues increased 45 per cent year-on-year to £369m, with operating profit rising 107 per cent to £45m.

The numbers were delivered having achieved 1,636 sales, which were up 35 per cent on the previous year.

Avant Homes has been owned since December 2014 by a consortium of private equity companies made up of Alchemy Special Opportunities, Avenue Capital and Angelo Gordon.