Work will soon start on land at the former Whitburn Lodge after Lovell acquired the site in Whitburn for the construction of 32 new homes.
Plans by Lovell to redevelop the former pub site on Mill Lane and build new homes will deliver eight affordable homes and £42,000 in funding for biodiversity measures.
The development will be called Laurel Gate and Lovell is to build a collection of two, three and four-bedroom houses, which will all benefit from PV solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.
Phil Jones, Director of Land and Partnerships for Lovell in the North East, said:
“There has been a great deal of interest in our plans to deliver these houses.
“We are happy to be able to forge ahead with our regeneration plans to take this derelict site and to transform it to provide additional homes and integrate with and enhance the existing community. The former pub has become something of a blot on the landscape and has attracted anti-social behaviour since it closed in 2012. The building programme should see us welcoming the first new residents onto the site in summer.
“The mix of homes is designed to meet the needs of the local housing market. There will be a range of properties which will provide homes for local people with different levels of affordability.”
The eight affordable homes being built at the development will comprise three for affordable rent, three for discounted market sale and two available under the First Homes scheme.
The £42,000 being provided by Lovell as part of the planning agreement will go towards improving and enhancing the biodiversity and natural environment in the wider area, as well as protecting existing wildlife habitats across the identified Durham Coast Special Area of Conservation and Northumbria Coast Special Protection Area.
Early Bird reservations for the homes for sale at Laurel Gate are now available, ahead of the development’s sales launch in the spring.