WORK is to start early next year on a multi-million pound affordable housing scheme in a former pit village.

Home Group says construction work on 34 new homes in Langley Park, near Durham City, is expected to get underway in January.

A further 23 homes could be built on the site in a future second phase of the development and the project comes just months after a separate 400-house scheme elsewhere in the village was granted outline planning permission.

The current £2.9m scheme, which will be a mixture of houses and bungalows, is to be built at The Haven, next to the Lanchester Valley walkway on the edge of the village.

The site was previously home to 20 old people’s bungalows, which were demolished last year.

Members of Durham County Council’s Area Planning Committee (North) granted the development planning permission last month after a lengthy consultation process, including a meeting organised by Home Group attended by more than 20 villagers.

Emma Richardson, project manager for Home Group, said: “We’re delighted to have been granted planning permission to build these much needed homes in Langley Park.

“The cottages which used to sit there were old and their design was outdated. They no longer met the needs of local people and they were not very energy efficient.”

She added: “Older properties used to be designed with extensive gardens and the cottages were all semi-detached.

“We’ve been able to make better use of land and increase the number of homes within the village while at the same time offering more spacious homes.”

In total, the development will include 18 two-bedroom houses and 14 three-bedroom houses, along with two two-bedroom bungalows.

The scheme is being part financed with a £900,000 contribution from the Homes and Communities Agency and developers say a further 23 homes could be built on the site in a second phase, subject to future funding.

The homes have been designed by award-winning Teesside-based P+HS architects.

Ms Richardson said: “We held a consultation event in June and the community responded really positively to the plans.

“There were some concerns over parking but we’ve taken those on board and amended the plans. We’re looking forward to getting on site and building these affordable homes for local people.”