Esh Construction has begun work on the first phase of affordable housing at County Durham’s first garden village.

Karbon Homes has partnered with Esh as it starts the delivery of 750 affordable homes at Seaham Garden Village.

The 78-hectare garden village, located on the A182 going into Seaham town centre, will include a new primary school, convenience retail and health and wellbeing facilities.

Taking advantage of the location on the Durham heritage coast, around 50% of the garden village will be dedicated to managed green space and a range of landscapes and spaces, with over three miles of landscaped paths and cycle routes.

Andy Radcliffe, chief executive officer at Esh Construction, said: “We are proud to be chosen as construction partner by Karbon for the exciting and innovative Seaham Garden Village development.

"With a spade in the ground on the first phase, this marks a key milestone in our strategic growth plans as we capitalise on a number of major project wins within the affordable housing sector and help registered providers deliver more quality, much-needed affordable homes.

“As a Durham-headquartered contractor, our commitment to Constructing Local will amplify social and economic benefits in County Durham over the coming years, through local job creation, procurement opportunities, our bespoke award-winning school programmes, and quality work placements for the next generation of construction professionals.”

The new homes will have a range of energy efficient technologies including solar photovoltaic panels and battery storage units. The aim is for all 750 homes to be net zero carbon.

Sarah Robson, director of development and regeneration at Karbon Homes, said: “I’m delighted we’ve started to build these much-needed affordable homes at Seaham Garden Village which will not only be an exciting new location in County Durham but also one of the few garden villages being delivered in the North East region. 

“The project is a fantastic example of collaborative working, that not only delivers new homes but a thriving new community and a great place to live for our residents.

“We’re pleased to announce Esh Construction as our construction partner for the first phase of this scheme. 

“We have worked well together elsewhere to deliver good quality, affordable homes, and we look forward to seeing progress on this site and new homes becoming available later in the year for people looking to live in a beautiful garden village environment.”

The first homes from Karbon will become available towards the end of the year, for both affordable rent and affordable home ownership options, shared ownership and rent to buy. 

The delivery is supported by funding from Homes England, through the housing association’s strategic partnership with the government’s housing delivery agency.

Alongside the affordable housing scheme, another 750 homes are being developed by national housebuilders Taylor Wimpey and Miller Homes.