WORK has started building new homes on the site of the former Beckfield Lane tip in Acomb, York.

Planning permission to redevelop the site was granted in September, and will see 27 new homes built.

A third of the houses will be up for sale on the open market while nine two bedroom flats and the remaining houses will become council homes.

The apartments will be allocated to council and housing association tenants down-sizing from larger homes in the city.

The development is part of a £7million project to deliver up to 70 homes across several sites, and Beckfield Lane was the first to receive planning permission while applications are currently being prepared for the other sites including Fenwick Street, Newbury Avenue, Chaloner’s Road and Hewley Avenue.

The council has been awarded £403,054 of funding from the Affordable Homes Grant by the Housing and Communities Agency (HCA) reducing the amount of direct funding needed.

Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, cabinet member for housing, said: “This very welcome grant, together with sales income from the nine homes to be sold on the open market, will allow the council to maximise its resources and potentially increase the number of new council homes it is able to build in future phases.

“I’m delighted we can progress on this site, providing much-needed homes and adding to the local community with this mixed tenure development.”

As previously reported in The Press moves to close the tip were announced in February 2012 and at the time opponents of the plans said shutting the tip would leave residents in West York struggling to dispose of their rubbish and lead to an increase in fly-tipping and falling recycling rates, while 2,870 signed a petition organised by the city’s Liberal Democrat group against the closure.

The council is also continuing discussions with the HCA to bid for further government funding for the remaining sites once planning permission has been granted.