A new development of affordable homes has been described as “an excellent addition” to a North-East village after being completed by an award-winning housing association.

The 20 bungalows have been provided in Middleton St George, near Darlington, by not-for-profit housing association, the North Star Housing Group.

Work started on the Yarm Road site in March 2019, with the first phase of 12 bungalows. Now, the third phase – comprising four more homes – has been completed at a cost of £580,000, including a £156,000 grant from Homes England.

Local ward councillor Doris Jones said: “These new bungalows are an excellent addition to the village, and it’s great to hear such positive feedback already from some of the new residents. I hope they’ll be very happy in their new homes.”

Councillor Jones was speaking after she and fellow ward councillor, Brian Jones, viewed the latest phase of the development with Emma Speight, North Star’s Executive Director of Assets and Growth.

All of the bungalows – made available for an affordable rent – have two bedrooms, underfloor heating, high standards of thermal efficiency, driveway parking, and gardens. Two of the properties have been built to full wheelchair-user specifications.

Environmental considerations include mature trees and hedgerows at the rear of the site being carefully preserved, while bat boxes have also been included in the scheme.

There were more than 100 applications for the bungalows and 18 of the new tenants are from Middleton St George, or had a qualifying connection to the village, such as providing family support.

The development is the latest example of a successful partnership between North Star and developers, Heritage North, with residents providing positive feedback about the standard and location of the homes.

North Star’s Chief Executive, Angela Lockwood, said: “We are committed to building high quality, affordable homes to help tackle the housing crisis. We have ambitious plans to build at least 500 new homes by 2023, and we will continue to invest in building great homes to meet local need.

“These new homes are evidence of how great partnership working can make a difference to local people. Our partnerships in Darlington go from strength to strength and have enabled us to deliver 40 new homes within the borough in the last year.”