WORK has started on a new £33 million housing development in Keighley.

Avant Homes West Yorkshire is building 124 properties on a 12-acre site in Shann Lane.

The scheme will comprise a mixture of three and four-bedroom houses, featuring seven different types.

Planning permission for the development, which will be known as Odette’s Point, was granted in January.

The timescale for the overall build programme is around three years.

A showhome is due to open in the autumn, with the first properties set to be ready for occupation in November.

Avant Homes says that as part of the scheme, it has pledged a community contribution of £300,000 towards local affordable housing and education.

The company's regional chair, Scott Varley, says: "We know there is a strong demand for high quality, new-build homes in Keighley, so we are very pleased to start work at Odette’s Point.

"Having also recently begun work at our 53-home Croftside Quarter development in Cullingworth, we are committed to providing these much-needed homes within the Bradford district."

Avant Homes West Yorkshire currently has eight 'live' developments across the region, with more due to start as the business continues to implement growth plans.

The group at present operates across the Midlands, north of England and Scotland from eight regional bases, and employs more than 600 people.

"Our ambition is to grow further across our existing regions and beyond – creating communities and providing employment opportunities for many," Mr Varley adds.

"Avant Homes Group has a medium-term strategic objective to sell more than 6,000 new homes per annum."

At Cullingworth, Avant is building a £13.6 million development with a similar mix of property sizes to the Keighley project.

The scheme occupies a 4.8-acre site at New School Lane in the village.

Work on that overall development is expected to take about two years to complete, but it is anticipated that the first homes will be ready for occupation in the autumn.

Avant Homes says Croftside Quarter will include open green space for residents, and a cycleway which will connect to the Great Northern Trail, a 4.1-mile circular route that forms part of the National Cycle Network. There are plans to extend the railway path via Denholme and Thornton to Queensbury.

Avant adds that as part of its housing programme in the village, the company has committed to a community contribution of £330,000 towards local education, highways improvements and biodiversity.