WORK on a housing development opposed by villagers starts next month.

Haslam Homes will build 146 houses on 11 acres of recreation fields at Ushaw Moor in a £6m development.

The firm, part of Keepmoat, has formed Durham Villages Regeneration Limited (DVR), a joint venture with Durham City Council.

A similar company, the Durham Housing Partnership, was formed to build houses on council land in other parts of the district.

The council says the Ushaw Moor development is vital to help fund the regeneration scheme it is spearheading in the village and in neighbouring communities.

Some residents opposed the planning application, saying it would take valuable open space and create houses that were not needed, but the Government gave the go-ahead.

Their attempt to have the land declared a village green, effectively blocking development, was rejected by Durham County Council.

The company said the scheme was the first of a number of housing developments in the Lower Deerness area.

They would provide affordable housing alongside wider regeneration programmes.

It also said they would offer employment and training for residents, including business start-up support and crime prevention schemes.

DVR is also expected to announce the extension of the regeneration programme to other villages.

Construction at Ushaw Moor will start in July and the first homes will be up for sale in September.

The work will coincide with other planned environmental improvements in Ushaw Moor.

Mike Croft, regional managing director of Haslam Homes, said: "Durham Villages Regeneration Limited is an exciting project which will make a real difference in the traditional mining villages of Durham.

"We are pleased to be working with Durham City Council again and are confident that the partnership will be as successful as the others we have worked on together."