WORK has finally begun on a controversial £150m redevelopment project.

Mayor of Lewisham Sir Steve Bullock clambered inside a bulldozer to celebrate the start of delayed construction work.

The Loampit Vale development in Lewisham required a government loan earlier this year to kickstart the work.

Built by Barratt Homes, it will see new homes and a leisure centre and swimming pool built on the site.

The project had originally be planned for completion in 2012 but has now been delayed until 2013.

Earlier this year a woman chained herself to a gate on the building site to protest about the scale of the development.

Sir Steve said: “I am delighted that, after a lot of hard work by everyone concerned, we have now reached the point where we are actually starting work on the new leisure centre and swimming pool.”