A HOUSE builder has laid out its timeline for a new 160-house development in Thornton.

Gleeson Homes’ plans for the new estate off Thornton Road, Thornton, were approved last month by Bradford Council.

It said the development of two, three and four-bedroom houses will be “beautiful, high quality and low cost”, with prices starting at £142,995 on the 16.5 acre site.

It will include 40 two bed homes, 101 three bed homes and 19 four bed homes, as well as two areas of public open space. Around 32 homes will be classed as affordable, and there is a clause in the planning permission banning future residents from converting their garages into living space.

The new estate will be called Squirrel Fold and construction is set to begin this winter, with the first homes going on sale in spring next year and first residents moving in in the summer 2022.

Gleeson is currently in the process of confirming a Section 106 agreement and ecology plans with Bradford Council, to mitigate the impact on local services and roads that 160 new family homes will cause in Thornton village, and its impact on the environment.

Thornton's Squirrel Fold will be the latest development by Sheffield-based house builder Gleeson in the district, with other projects including Northbeck Grange near Lidget Green, Calverley View in Fagley, and Carrwood Park in Tyersal.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: An artist's impression of the new homes in Squirrel Fold, ThorntonAn artist's impression of the new homes in Squirrel Fold, Thornton

Andrew Davies, regional managing director at Gleeson, said: “We are delighted to be bringing 160 fantastic new homes to Thornton.

"This will be our fourth live development in Bradford, a city where we are seeing great success with our quality, affordable homes.

“We are pleased to be championing the area, supporting the community with our affordable homes and by employing a workforce on site that will be made up of local labour and contractors.

"With our homes, we are determined to ensure that the housing market better serves young first-time buyers and families on low to average incomes.”

The plans have proved controversial, with many people currently living in Thornton expressing concerns about the pressure new houses will put on local services such as schools, GP practices and dentist surgeries, and also lamenting the loss of green space around the village.