BUILDING work has begun on a controversial housing development in Thornbury.

Diggers rolled onto fields on Morton Way last month to start work on a 300-home estate.

Developers Bloor Homes fought against fierce resistance in the town, getting the go-ahead for their development on appeal in April 2013 when the planning inspector deemed the houses necessary to help the council meet its housing target for the next five years.

The estate will consist of three, four and five-bedroom houses, along with a shop and public park.

A two-phase construction approach is being taken, with 109 homes built in the first stage and then a further 191 houses plus the amenities to follow in the second build period.

A Bloor Homes spokesman said a sales presence was likely to be on site by the end of the year with the first homes available in the early part of 2015.

They expect the build to take four to five years and are marketing the site as Morton Fields.