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Sited near Chester Road, the £1.8million development of the modular homes – meaning they are made from prefabricated materials – is the first time the Sunderland housing association has used this type of construction as part of its new-build housing stock.

The houses make up Austin Place and differ from Gentoo’s other new housing developments across the city. The new homes were built in a factory then transported to the site, before being moved into place by crane.

The houses are two and three-bedroom homes. Their tenants, who have already moved in, will also have private car parking spaces.

The homes, which received grant funding from Homes England, will run mainly on renewable energy supplied by solar PV panels and an air source heat pump. All the new houses have an electric car charging point as standard.

Joanne Gordon, development director at Gentoo Group, said: “We’re delighted with the outcome of these modular homes, which have been built and occupied in just over a year.

“There’s lots of benefits to using this construction method that we’re keen to explore as part of our exciting affordable development programme, and we are sure that the tenants who have moved into these homes will find them a great place to live.”

Louise Buckton is new build director at EQUANS, Gentoo’s contracting partner on the scheme.

She said: “We are proud to have delivered the first modular housing scheme for Gentoo. Modular homes provide a lot of benefits, not least reduced construction time, while still offering the same high-quality tenants would expect.

“We know that future residents will enjoy their smart new homes and we are looking forward to working more with Gentoo in the future as they look to explore using more modern methods of construction to add to their housing stock.”

The news of the completion of the development follows from Gentoo’s recent announcement of a major housing improvement scheme in Pennywell, where more than 1,100 homes are set to be modernised.

The new modular homes are part of the group’s £165 million plan to create 1,200 affordable homes across Sunderland by 2026.