FOUR new wheelchair adaptable bungalows have been completed in St Helen Auckland as the latest part of a £54m investment in affordable housing across County Durham.

The two-bedroom bungalows, which are available for affordable rent, have been built by County Durham Housing Group on a vacant site in Davis Avenue.

The Davis Avenue properties are the latest part of County Durham Housing Group’s 545 home new-build programme to be completed. The four-year programme, which began in 2017, will cover more than 20 sites in communities stretching from rural Weardale to the Durham coast. Already over 60 families have moved into their new homes.

The homes have been built with features such as wider doors and level access.

County Durham Housing Group Chief Executive, Bill Fullen, said: “Four new bungalows might seem like a small development; but it’s all about building the right homes in the right place.

"These homes have been built to meet a specific need in St Helen Auckland for affordable and accessible housing.

"They will allow four families to continue living in an area they have ties to and are familiar with, rather than having to move elsewhere to find a suitable property.”

“Our new-build programme is designed to deliver the new homes that the diverse communities of County Durham need, whether that’s family homes in Seaham or bungalows in rural villages like Rookhope."

Construction work on the new homes in Davis Avenue was carried out by long-established Weardale based firm T Manners & Sons.

Wayne Harris, senior contracts manager at T Manners & Sons Ltd, said: “We are delighted to have completed another successful project with County Durham Housing Group that has been provided for the benefit of the local community. Our craftspeople are all locals to the county and so it feels special to be involved in this much needed project. We are pleased to be continuing our relationship with the Group, building houses at Peterlee and hope to do more in the future.”

The full County Durham Housing Group new-build programme is expected to create in the region of 160 new jobs and apprenticeships.

Tenants have already moved into completed homes in Newton Aycliffe, Bishop Auckland, Rookhope, Pity Me, Chilton Moor, Ushaw Moor and Ouston. The group’s first new build homes in Crook are due to be completed later this year and work is also underway to commence construction by the Autumn on sites in Bowburn, Bishop Auckland, Peterlee and Seaham.