HOUSES on a new estate in Darlington will go on sale at Easter, developers have said.

More than 700 homes will be built on the West Park development, in Faverdale, plus a rugby club, a park, a community hall and a hospital unit.

Tony Cooper, from site developers Bussey and Armstrong, said some of the houses would start being built by Bellway Homes in April or May, and would go on sale at the same time.

"Bellway are starting their houses by Easter time and there will be houses for sale as soon as they start," he said.

"We are not due to start building our houses for the next couple of years. There is going to be 700 houses and the whole project will take ten years."

Building work on a £20m NHS acute mental hospital, on the former Darchem chemical works site, should start in May or June. The hospital, to replace Darlington Memorial Hospital's Pierremont Unit, is expected to open at the end of 2004.

"The development is all going pretty much as arranged," said Mr Cooper.

"Landscaping work will start shortly and road works are due to start by Easter."