Work starts on Burtree Garden Village
Hellens Group has broken ground on the new neighbourhood in Darlington, which will have 2,000 homes and 2m sq ft of employment space, with phase one consisting of 750 houses, green infrastructure, and a 20-acre public park.
Almost half of the site is designated as green open space and plans include retail outlets, community facilities, and sustainable transport connections.
Hellens is working in partnership with Homes England on the site, with the government agency providing £43m towards the project, and Darlington Council is also a key partner.
Plans were submitted in February for the scheme, and initial works on-site will include preparatory groundworks and infrastructure installation, paving the way for the first homes to be built.
Gavin Cordwell-Smith, chief executive of Hellens Group, said: “This project has been years in the making and will deliver a vibrant, sustainable community with much-needed homes, employment space, and green infrastructure.”
Lola McEvoy, MP for Darlington, said: “It’s really important that we get building houses because for too long there have been so many good developers trying to do the right thing so that people can have nice places to live with the correct infrastructure and a mix of tenures.”
Cllr Chris McEwan, deputy leader of Darlington Borough Council, said: “It’s good to see a partnership that’s been developing for a number of years start to deliver in a tangible way on the ground.”
