THE first turf was dug yesterday at the start of a £40m scheme to revamp a housing estate.

Ray Wallace Thompson, an architect who worked on the original Hardwick estate, Stockton, in the 1950s, was asked back to cut the earth for the first new home at the site.

The three-bedroomed house will be one of the first 40 to be built by Endeavour Housing Association, based in Thornaby, in partnership with Stockton Borough Council.

After months of talks with residents, the £3.3m scheme is the first stage of the regeneration project, which will result in 700 new homes and a new £4m primary school.

Councillor Paul Kirton said: "It is great to see the redevelopment under way. It is the start of something that will become very big indeed.

"I am especially pleased for the residents, who can at last see something taking shape on the ground."

The first stage is likely to be finished by March.

Work will also begin this year on a £6m Extra Care Scheme for elderly and frail people in the area. Residents of the planned 20 bungalows and 30 apartments will benefit from round-the-clock facilities including a restaurant and gym.