Government cash guaranteed for Kirklees housing scheme

Sep 10 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THOUSANDS of new council homes could be built thanks to a Government handout.

Gordon Brown has urged English local authorities to “move fast” and make the best use of a £127m pot of Government funding for 2,000 new council houses.

He was speaking after it was announced that 47 councils will receive a share of the cash to help build the homes.

Kirklees is one of the councils to benefit and has already confirmed it will build 36 houses with the near £4m grant – with possibly more in the years to come.

The news also coincided with start of a massive regeneration scheme on a huge council estate at Fieldhead, Birstall.

Hundreds of poor homes will be demolished to be replaced with a mixture of rented homes and homes to buy under the Fieldhead Regeneration Project.

Senior councillors, community leaders and representatives from each of the organisations involved in the project took part in a ground-breaking ceremony.

The work is being carried out in five phases across the estate. In the first phase, a number of flats in the Lowood Lane area are being demolished to make room for new family housing.

Altogether, 155 unpopular flats across the estate will be replaced by 140 two and three-bedroom houses: 78 will be for rent, with some for shared ownership, and 62 will be built for sale, giving financial support to the scheme.