Esh Group has won £12m of work in a major housing, leisure and retail development project led by Bowey Homes.  The scheme, to be known as Northumberland Park, near Shiremoor, will eventually cover over 100 acres.  The deal draws on the skills of five of Esh Group's companies;

• Dunelm Castle Homes will build 49 homes generating sales in the order of £8m.
• Lumsden & Carroll will construct a new bypass and on-site roads and sewers in a contract for Bowey Homes worth around £4m.
• Deerness Fencing, Sones Landscaping and Bartram Walker will deliver fencing, hard and soft landscaping and plumbing work as the site develops.

The scheme also includes a £1.5m road-over-rail bridge, being constructed by Balfour Beatty, now nearing completion.

Commenting on the deal, Brian Manning, Group Managing Director of Esh Group said;

'We are very pleased to have won this work.  This project draws on the principal skills of a number of Esh Group's companies and is a good example of the integrated contracting services that we provide.'

Paul Robson, Managing Director of Bowey Homes said;

'Bowey Homes has been working hard on this project for over six years and together with Lumsden & Carroll and Dunelm Castle Homes for the last three.  The scheme has and will continue to require close collaboration between a number of partners.  We are delighted with progress so far and we expect to have the first homes available in early 2004.'

Esh Group recently reported healthy growth in both turnover and profitability.