A TRADITIONAL "topping out" ceremony has been held at a housing development being built on a former Royal Navy air station.

The event marked the completion of the roof of the Daedalus Village site at Lee-on-Solent by Wates Residential, five months after work started.

Members of the community and Wates staff toasted the achievement at a barbecue.

Guests, including Councillors Graham Burgess and John Beavis, and veterans Mollie and Edward Rees who served on the base.

Those attending took part in a raffle in aid of the charity Gosport Voluntary Action. Winners took home prizes including a smartphone, Harrods Hamper, car valet and Next voucher.

The site is one of seven national pilots for the Accelerated Construction Model, a Homes England initiative which is designed to enable the Government to fast-track the building of homes on publicly owned land and diversify housing delivery.

Daedalus Village will provide a mix of housing – 120 private homes and 80 affordable homes.

Radian is responsible for managing the shared ownership properties on the site.

The site originally served as a seaplane base in 1917 during the First World War and later became the main training establishment and administrative centre of the Fleet Air Arm.

Following its decommissioning in 1996, the site fell into disrepair and was subsequently acquired by Homes England.

To mark the start of building work, in November, a time capsule was buried which will remain underground until 2043. It included family photographs from two veterans who met while working at Daedalus and went on to get married, a fidget spinner, examples of current Maths and English books, a Wates Residential team photograph and a blueprint of the site.

In February, primary school pupils in Gosport were invited to take part in a competition to name new roads on the site.

Richard Manville, Construction Manager for Wates Residential, said: “Since November, work has been progressing well on our Daedalus Village site and we are extremely proud that we are already able to lay the last roofing tile on the first home."