Esh Construction has marked two years on site on the flagship development Seaham Garden Village, where 750 affordable homes are being delivered on behalf of Karbon Homes.
In July 2024, construction began on 213 affordable homes on the garden village site, with the first homes handed over to Karbon in December 2025. At the start of 2026, 49 homes were completed and welcomed new residents, with 60 more homes due to complete by the end of the year as part of Karbon’s first phase of development. Phases two and three will see 84 and 57 homes built respectively, including both family homes and apartments.
Located on the A182 going into Seaham town centre, the 78-hectare garden village is the first of its kind in County Durham, and will include a new primary school, convenience retail and health and wellbeing facilities. With sustainability and the community at the heart of the development, around 50% of the site will be dedicated to managed green space and a range of landscapes and spaces, with over three miles of landscaped paths and cycle routes.
Mark Binns, Operations Director at Esh Construction, said: “Reaching the two-year milestone at Seaham Garden Village is a significant achievement for everyone involved in the development. Through our close partnership with Karbon Homes, we've made excellent progress in bringing this vision to life, with the first residents now settled into their new homes and hundreds more properties progressing across the site.”
All homes will be heated via an ultra-low carbon heat network, which draws on warm, underground water being pumped from former mine shafts, through a heat exchange, into a district heat network. The initiative was led by Durham County Council and the Mining Remediation Authority and is being delivered by Vital Energi.
