North East residents say moving into their new home has been "life changing".
Cricketers Hill, a £27.7 million neighbourhood in Sunderland developed by Gentoo in partnership with RE:GEN Group, has now been completed, offering 115 affordable homes on a former brownfield site.
The homes, provided through a mix of affordable rent, shared ownership, and rent-to-buy schemes, have already made an impact on those who have moved in.
One resident said: "Moving into a bungalow fulfilled a lifelong dream and felt like all my Christmases had come at once" when they first saw it."
Another resident described themselves as “delighted with our bungalow” and said they felt "privileged to rent it".
Ali Johnson, assistant director of development at Gentoo, said: "Cricketers Hill is a development we are incredibly proud of, not only because of the homes we've delivered, but because of the partnerships that made it possible."
Ms Johnson added: "Together, we've transformed a vacant brownfield site into a thriving community.
"Seeing families settled into their new homes and children enjoying the new play area is a fantastic legacy for everyone involved in the project."
The project was supported by £6.6 million from Homes England and £1.95 million from the Brownfield Land Release Fund.
It includes two, three, and four-bedroom homes as part of Gentoo’s wider commitment to affordable housing in the city.
Construction began in 2023 and faced major challenges when the original contractor went into administration.
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Gentoo and its partners managed to restart construction within six months.
Simon Watson, regional operations director for RE:GEN North East, said: "Not only have we delivered 115 much-needed, high-quality homes, we've also strengthened an incredibly positive partnership with Gentoo.
"We share the same values and purpose, with a commitment to creating lasting benefits for local communities, and that has been evident throughout every stage of this development."
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