TEN eco-friendly bungalows have been built in Darlington as part of a £1.1m scheme.

The development of two-bedroom houses in the Firthmoor part of town has been created to meet the needs of older people, but they can be adapted for family use.

They have been designed by architects RyderHKS, on behalf of the Three Rivers Housing Group.

Other agencies involved in the scheme are the Firthmoor Community Partnership, Darlington Borough Council, contractors Kendall Cross, Century Homes and cost consultants RNJ Partnership.

The new homes are built around a super-insulated timber frame, which has the dual benefit of being a renewable source and speeds up the construction timetable, and each has a full height double-glazed screen to the south-facing living area, which floods the area with light.

Together with the high levels of insulation, that will help reduce heating costs through passive solar gain.

The energy-efficient homes exceed the current building regulations for conservation of fuel and power and have achieved an Eco-Homes 'good' rating, in line with housing corporation standards.

Graham McDarby, architectural director at RyderHKS, said: "This design clearly demonstrates that it is possible to combine environmentally-friendly principles with cost-effective ideas and translate the whole into affordable, flexible housing stock needs."

Jonathan Gibson, development manager at Three Rivers, said: "It has been a very successful partnership and has helped us achieve our aims of high quality, sustainable homes that will meet our long-term housing needs.

"This approach has resulted in this project being finished on time and within the agreed budget, and will be used as a great model for future developments."