WORK is due to start next month on the building of 188 new homes at the edge of Skipton.

Bellway Homes Clifford Gardens development, off Carleton Road, is part of the mixed industrial and residential Wyvern Park scheme.

The new homes, 37 of which will be affordable, will be built on a 16.5 acre site and are expected to come onto the market in the summer.

Bellway says the homes have been designed to appeal to buyers from all walks and stages of life, from first time buyers to growing families, and including those wishing to downsize.

The development will feature a mix of different designs and will include two, three, four and five bedroom homes.

Bellway adds the development will not only boost the local economy, but will also create around 40 new jobs during the construction phase.

Paul Thornton, Bellway Yorkshire’s divisional planning manager, said: “New housing developments bring significant economic benefits to local communities, a fact that is quite often overlooked.”

“Clifford Gardens will create in the region of 40 new jobs during the construction phase, and when sales commence and people start moving-in they will bring new money into the area and spend it locally, which will be a real boost for local businesses.”

He added: “On top of that there’ll also be significant infrastructure and leisure improvements made as a result of the substantial Section 106 contributions that we as a housebuilder make to the local authority during our time on site.”

The amount being invested comes to around £370,000, says Bellway. £230,000 will be spent on a range of highway infrastructure improvements, £20,000 on a travel plan fund, and £115,000 will be spent by Craven District Council on the development of open space improvements at Sandylands Sports Centre.

Mr Thornton added: "When planning to build anywhere our aim isn’t to simply to build houses.

“We’re here to create homes and communities that people will love in an environment that they’ll be proud to call home.”

“The plans for Clifford Gardens certainly demonstrate this aim, and I look forward to seeing this new addition to Skipton growing into a much-loved part of the local community as families move in and breathe life into it.”

For further information and to register an interest in Bellway’s plans for Clifford Gardens in Skipton visit www.bellway.co.uk.