WORK has started on a new community of 60 homes.

The properties at Swanland Road in Helmsley will be completed in three phases, with the first phase including 14 homes.

Developers Wharfedale Homes has said it is keen to support local businesses by employing local subcontractors in joinery, labour, landscaping and more. It The company is also recruiting two part-time sales advisors who will be based at the new development.

Chris Patmore, Wharfedale Homes director, said: “We have spent nearly 10 years working through the planning system to be able to bring this site forward. We have worked closely with the local community, the Helmsley estate, National Park Planning Officers and the National Park Committee to create a superb development which is worthy of its very special location.”

Phases two and three of the development, which will be made available in the second half of 2018, will include six two-bedroom homes for sale at a discounted price to local people. There will also be one and two-bedroom properties for available to rent to the local community.

Wharfedale Homes has partnered up with Helmsley In Business to fund printing and distribution of 75,000 brochures to attract visitors to the area.

Carolyn Frank, chairman of Helmsley in Business and owner of Libby Butler Jewellers, said: “It’s great to see work starting on the new development and to hear that interest has been so high.

“We’re very lucky to live and work in such a wonderful community, and it will be great to welcome new people to it. But in addition, it’s good to know that there will also be properties available for local people to either rent or buy.”

Mr Patmore added: “As a company we specialise in building homes to blend sympathetically with their surroundings. We have achieved that with our first development of twenty homes at Linkfoot Lane and plan to do the same at Swanland Park.”

Although traditional on the outside, Wharfedale Homes said that on the inside, the new Swanland Park homes will offer “modern, open-plan living”.

Bi-folding doors will open onto the gardens to “harmonises indoor and outdoor spaces”.

To find out more about the employment opportunities at the site, enquires can be sent to admin@wharfedalehomes.co.uk.