Demolition contractors have rolled into Tynedale to pave the way for a £1 million development of eight new affordable homes on the Hexham East estate.

Terraces of 12 outmoded old bungalows on Springfield Road are being torn down, ready for Isos Housing to start work on building the new properties, supported by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Isos, through its Milecastle division, has worked in partnership with Northumberland County Council and the Hexham East Regeneration Project, sponsored by the Hexham Community Partnership, to bring this project forward and to keep local residents informed about the development.

Isos knows there is substantial demand for affordable family homes in the Hexham area and this redevelopment scheme will help to address that.

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The building work will run parallel with a £1.5m investment in refurbishing around 200 homes on the estate with most benefiting from new kitchens, boilers, bathrooms, doors, and an electrical upgrade.

Meanwhile all the new homes will be built to high standards of sustainability, with the latest technology used to ensure they are energy efficient and cheap to run.

The scheme has received £440,000 in funding from the Homes and Communities Agency, which is supporting a series of housing developments across Northumberland.

Alan Davies, investment and regeneration manager at the HCA, said: "As the first major development in Hexham East for many years, this will make a real difference for the community, providing family homes for a new generation of local people.

"Our role is all about helping to make things happen in local communities, and this is another great example of that local approach in action."

The development has also received funding from Northumberland County Council and from Isos' own resources.

The new houses, to be built by contractor Vinci, will be a mixture of sizes, six with three bedrooms and two with four bedrooms.

(CD/GK)