HOUSING association bosses have vowed that an £8 million development incorporating a 172-year-old engine shed will retain a feel for the site's heritage.

Railway Housing Association will soon start work on 73 affordable homes on a site just off Haughton Road, opposite Darlington College.

There will be a mixture of two and three-bedroom houses, two-bedroom bungalows and one-bedroom apartments, with the properties being let to young people, couples, families and older people in housing need.

The homes will be built close to the historic 1825 Darlington to Stockton Railway Line and an engine shed built in 1844 will be incorporated into the development.

The shed, which was situated at the Newcastle and Darlington junction of the old railway, has listed building status so it will be sympathetically converted into 7 mews-type houses.

Andrea Abbott, Railway Housing Association’s director of customer services, said: “We were keen not to lose the heritage of such an important site.

"In response to comments made by the Friends of the 1825 Darlington & Stockton Railway during the planning process, the design of the scheme was revised so the homes are not built on the actual route of the railway.

"It was also important to preserve the engine shed because of its listed status as it has fallen into disrepair. It is only giving this building a purpose that would ensure it is preserved in the future.

“The whole development, including the engine shed, will have an industrial feel in keeping with the site’s historic past and at the same time we will be building modern, energy efficient homes that will be enjoyed by future generations.

“At a cost of just over £8 million for 73 homes, this represents one of the biggest developments in the recent history of the Association and with our links to the railway, it is fitting that this will take place near a site with such historic worldwide importance.”