Work has begun on 212 new homes in Northamptonshire’s south west district, on land owned by Homes England, with planning permission currently being sought for a further 1,400 homes.

Built by Morris Homes, the scheme will form part of a wider 860 home development on land owned by the government’s housing agency who have also invested £77m in infrastructure for the district, including roads and parkland.

Morris will deliver a mix of apartments and two, three and four bedroom houses at the site. Alongside almost 1,000 homes which have already been built at Upton, Upton Park and Upton Lodge will collectively deliver over 2,200 new homes for people in Northampton.

Stephen Kinsella, executive director for land at Homes England, said: “The start on site at Upton Park marks the beginning of a new neighbourhood for Northampton. The development will offer a range of homes to meet the needs of local people, building on the success of the new community at Upton.”

Homes England is currently seeking planning permission from Northampton Borough Council for its Upton Lodge site, which it is anticipated will deliver a further 1,400 homes for the town.

James Hill, Northampton Borough Council cabinet member for planning, said: “It is extremely important that we support the delivery of new – particularly affordable – housing which is in high demand in Northampton. These sites have been identified in our Local Plan as being appropriate for housing and we will continue to work with developers to ensure high-quality schemes are brought forward in a timely fashion.”

It’s anticipated the first phase of homes at Upton Park will be available by spring 2020.