The move sees civil and structural engineering services and expertise provided to Story Homes, which is developing a mix of 35 three, four and five bedroomed houses, including affordable properties, on land at the former Dunston Hill Hospital in Whickham.

Planning, flood risk analysis, design expertise and local authority sewage adoption agreements have all been provided by RWO as part of a six-figure package of engineering support for a site that will include a dedicated habitat and pond created to encourage wildlife at the Highfields project.

The multi-million-pound scheme, which will see a second phase of 11 houses constructed later this year, is part of Story’s range of homes that feature open plan living spaces and comes as RWO continues to grow its residential work across the region.

Alex Erskine, director of civils at RWO, said: “We are delighted to continue to develop our partnership with Story Homes, supporting their new development programme. Our residential offering continues to expand, and this latest work comes as we see more success this year and beyond on the back of strong regional and national work.”

Mark Green, head of technical at Story Homes, said: “RWO continues to be a key partner for us. Working alongside our in-house team, RWO ensures projects like Highfields are delivered on time, as we continue to invest and expand to meet the huge demand across the North East for high quality new homes.”