Ground has been broken at the site of a £3m development which will see 18 new council flats built in Great Yarmouth.

The official ground breaking ceremony by the Beach Coach Station was attended by members of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Broadland Housing, One Public Estate and H. Smith and Sons on Tuesday.

%image(14377281, type="article-full", alt="The one-bedroom properties will be known as Jubilee Court, in recognition of Her Majesty's 70 years on the throne.")

The site of Jubilee Court - named in honour of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June - will see the construction of three blocks of three-storey buildings containing one-bedroom flats for council tenants.

The flats, which are designed to be suitable for two people, are 50sqm each and will be built to high energy-efficiency standards.

There will be a shared garden and a communal parking area.

At the event, council leader Carl Smith said the development was the "biggest expansion" of the council's housing stock in almost 20 years.

%image(14377283, type="article-full", alt="The ground will be cleared before piling begins at the Jubilee Court development site in Great Yarmouth.")

"The 18 new flats will offer valuable new housing, particularly for single people and young families," Mr Smith said.

"They will be of high quality, high energy efficiency and make brilliant use of this brownfield site in a creative way."

Labour opposition leader at the council, Trevor Wainwright, said: "We really welcome the project.

"Hopefully this will be the beginning of the drive for more affordable homes in the borough.

"We need more like it."

%image(14377284, type="article-full", alt="Work has begun at the site of Great Yarmouth's "biggest expansion" of council housing stock in 17 years.")

The development will be built by H. Smith and Sons and Broadland Housing.

John Smith, managing director of H. Smith and Sons, said the site is currently being cleared before piling works begin in the next three weeks.

Mr Smith said the homes are expected to be complete in 12 months.

%image(14377285, type="article-full", alt="John Smith, managing director of H. Smith and Sons, said the development should be completer within 12 months.")

Andrew Savage, development director for Broadland Housing, said: "The need is outstripping supply.

"It's the first time in a long time social and affordable housing has been developed here by the council.

"It's good to be able to help the council piece this together.

"The council are really trying to meet that demand and I think this is fantastic for Great Yarmouth."

%image(14377287, type="article-full", alt="The site of Jubilee Court in Great Yarmouth will be home to flats suitable for couples and single people.")

The £3 million development is being supported with funding from the government's One Public Estate Brownfield Lane Release Fund and Homes England.

Deborah Ansari, Norfolk's One Public Estate manager, said: "We're delighted to see projects such as this coming in areas where the funding is really making a difference.

"We want to see more of these projects coming forward, particularly on brownfield sites."

%image(14377288, type="article-full", alt="There will be a shared garden and communal parking area.")