WORK has re-started on the construction of 42 new homes on land behind Fore Street and Cornhill, Wellington.

They are being built by property company Freemantle Developments which has linked up with LiveWest, the largest housing association in the region.

Twenty-six homes will be for affordable rent and 16 for shared ownership and they include one-, two- and three-bedroom homes.

The development includes a listed building severely damaged by a fire in Cornhill in 2008 which is being repaired and converted to provide four new homes.

However, the scheme provides no replacement shops on Cornhill, frustrating residents who would like to see the historic street become Wellington’s version of Bath Place, in Taunton.

Adam Preece, business manager of Live West, said: “Residents and businesses in Wellington will be only too familiar with the burned-out derelict buildings on Cornhill and the wasteland adjoining North Street car park.

“We’re confident that this scheme will revitalise Cornhill and bring a renewed vibrancy to the area at the same time as providing a mixture of affordable homes right in the heart of the town.”

The development is expected to take 18 months to complete.