THE first phase of the multi-million pound regeneration of Dudley’s former North Priory estate is nearing completion.

Developers are currently putting the final touches to the homes in the first stage of Friars Gate development.

In total, 100 homes are being built in this phase of the redevelopment, which includes 63 affordable homes and 37 for outright sale.

Work on the second and third stage of the project, which has been funded through the government’s Homes and Communities Agency will begin in the next couple of months and once complete will provide 314 properties in total, including a mixture of two-bedroom apartments and bungalows as well as two, three and four-bedroom houses, which will sit around seven newly built streets.

The streets - Bradfield Way, Hackett Drive, Webley Grove, Shrewsbury Place, Saredon Gardens, St Benedict Court and St Edmund Close – have all been chosen because of the associations with the nearby 12th century Cluniac Priory of St James’s, the ruins of which are still found on Priory Park.

The development is being carried out by Dudley Council, in partnership with affordable housing provider, Bromford and developer Keepmoat Homes.

Councillor Adrian Turner, cabinet member for housing, libraries and adult learning, said:“Dudley Council is delighted to see the development get to this stage and to see many people turning the new houses into homes, which is what this project has been all about. The standard of the development is fantastic so far and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the rest of the site.”