MILLER Homes is due to begin work on a development in Seaham it first planned four years ago after seeing an upturn in the housing market in the North East.

It is building 52 homes at Mariners Way, on the former Vane Tempest pit site – the company’s second development in Seaham in the last two years. Miller completed work at its East Shore Village development in 2009.

The land deal supports Miller’s latest regional survey, which shows that almost half of the North East population reports that the recession has made no difference to how they view the property market.

The survey polled over five thousand new and potential home buyers UK-wide to gauge their confidence in the market.

The firm is now looking to acquire more land in the North East.

Miller Homes’ regional land director John Jameson, said: “I can now confirm that permission has been given by Durham County Council’s planning authority for a scheme of 52 units that will predominantly be family homes.

“We resurrected our initial planning application that was originally submitted in 2007, thanks to an upturn in the property market.

“We are extending our build programme in Seaham, off the back of our hugely successful East Shore Village development.

“Our commitment to buying more land in this seaside town shows our confidence in the housing market’s recovery in the North East, and we are gearing up for further land acquisitions in the forthcoming months.”

Recently the builder opened its first 100% solar panel housing development in the North East. Greenvale Park – a 93-home, five-acre development near Stamfordham Road in Newcastle. Miller Homes sales director Steve McElroy said: “Mariners Way is our first new piece of land in 2011 and is a fantastic coup for us in securing such a prime site so we can build affordable properties close to Sunderland and Durham city centres.

“The development that will see us breaking ground in the summer, with our show home and view home due to open in autumn and our first home buyers moving in by early next year.

“This is our third land acquisition over the past 12 months – we have recently launched our Newcastle based eco-development Greenvale Park and are starting work at our Alexandra Chase development in Cramlington, Northumberland, due to open by May. So far 2011 is looking very prosperous for us.”