Lifelong Osmaston resident and former Rolls-Royce engineer Alan Gill has taken centre stage at the launch of the multi million-pound regeneration project near the plant where he worked for decades.

Mr Gill will cut the first piece of earth at the site of the proposed housing development in Elton Road, near where Rolls-Royce operated until 2008.

He started work at the company as an apprentice engineer in 1961, aged 16, and worked there until 2003. Now, he has helped kick start the transformation of the site, which is being delivered by Bramall Construction in partnership with Derby City Council, Derby Homes and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

The new development will see £2.65 million invested in building an environmentally friendly mix of homes -12 apartments and 13 houses. This includes a £1.3 million investment from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) – the national housing and regeneration agency – through the Government's Local Authority New Build programme.

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Margaret Allen, Regional Director of the HCA, said: "We are pleased to support this high quality development that will allow Derby City Council to start building their own affordable homes. With the properties achieving levels four and five of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH), we are creating a new community that is both sustainable and has minimum impact on the environment."

The homes will be built to Levels 4 and 5 of the Government's Code for Sustainable Homes, which is a first for the city.

Bramall Construction Managing Director Neil Baxter said: "It's important to us that local people play a part in this landmark scheme for Derby and it's great that Mr Gill has helped start the work on site.

"When complete, these homes will represent a great step forward in the provision of high quality affordable housing in Derby. But this is not just about building better homes; we also intend to train and employ local people, where possible, during the construction of these homes, helping to further regenerate the area by providing opportunities for them to build better lives for themselves."

The scheme is scheduled to be completed by Christmas 2010.

(CD/GK)