Plans for hundreds of ‘precision-engineered’ homes near Weston have been revealed by North Somerset Council.

The authority hopes to build 700 houses near the ongoing Locking Parklands development once the creation of the north-south link road between the A371 and the A370 is complete.

The council owns 34 hectares, and has received almost £10million in Government funding to unlock the area's development potential.

The first phase of the development would see around 425 houses created after the road is completed in the autumn of 2020, and hundreds more homes would follow in years to come.

The authority agreed to begin the procurement process to find a developer for phase one of the project, which is due to be finished by 2026, at its meeting on May 14.

Cllr Mark Canniford, the council's new executive member for capital programme, said: "This is about the council working with a developer in a way we want to as this is our land.

"We want to look at modern building techniques and create 30 per cent affordable housing.

"We have had a considerable grant for the infrastructure, which is for the purposes of speeding up the build so we can create houses at the speed required and not the speed major house-builders want to give us."

The council hopes to work with a developer which creates the homes in a factory, rather than from scratch on site - reducing the time and mess created by the project.

North Somerset's developer of choice is due to be selected by the authority within the next 12 months.

Alex Hearn, the council's assistant director for place-making and growth, added: "Homes England is working with developer St Modwen to already deliver homes in the area known as Locking Parklands.

"The council's land is near that and we're already very active in the area working on infrastructure.

"We're building a road which opens up this land, and we're also building a primary school for families moving into the area.

"We will be asking the developer to deliver precision engineered, manufactured homes.

"These homes are going to be much more energy efficient, and construction in factory conditions means they can be assembled on site in much less time."