WORK is underway on an £8 million housing project to create bungalows and specially adapted homes for people with mobility challenges and wheelchair users.

The development, in Peterlee, involves Galliford Try Partnerships North and believe housing, and also includes a mix of two and three-bedroom family houses.

The majority of the properties will be offered at ‘affordable’ rent, with 25 of the houses available through the Government-backed ‘Rent to Buy’ scheme.

Sean Egan, managing director with Galliford Try Partnerships North, said: “We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with believe housing, which over the last couple of years, has delivered 40 homes in County Durham. Increasingly we are finding that by using our expertise, experience and grant funding to identify and kick start viable projects, we are able to help the region’s housing providers to meet housing need.”

In total, 67 properties will be built on the former school site off Robson Avenue, with the first residents moving in from spring next year.

The site is due to be completed early in 2021.

As one of the largest housing associations in the North-East, believe housing already provides affordable homes for 18,000 families in the region and is also investing £70m to create more than 700 new homes by 2022.

Development Manager at believe housing, Tom Winter, said: “This is our largest single development to date and a significant investment in east Durham.

“It’s a key project in our programme of 700 new homes and will create high-quality affordable housing at the heart of Peterlee for decades to come.

“This partnership has given us the opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to finding new and innovative ways that we can help to meet the strong demand for affordable homes in the North-East. “We’re looking forward to working closely with our partner and residents to ensure construction goes smoothly and disruption is kept to a minimum during the building process.”