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NEW life will be breathed into local communities thanks to a multi-million pound cash handout for a northern housing development partnership.

The Spirit Partnership, made up of six housing associations, has been awarded £20.5m from the Housing Corporation.

The cash means that 385 new properties will be built over the next two years (2006-08) across a region covering an area including Carlisle, Durham, the Tees Valley, Yorkshire and Humberside.

More than 280 homes will be built in the North East, thanks to a grant of more than £15m, the North West will play home to 58 new properties after receiving more than £3m and 39 properties will be built in Yorkshire and Humberside thanks to almost £2m.

The partnership, which consists of Erimus Housing, Three Rivers Housing Group, Two Castles Housing Association, Tees Valley Housing Group, Housing Hartlepool and Coast and Country Housing, has also been awarded a further £1.8m, which could be used on reserve schemes to build a variety of new homes under the project.

Planned homes include bungalows, properties for disabled tenants, houses and properties for shared ownership and supported housing.

Major schemes that were awarded grants from the Housing Corporation include:

• Erimus Housing – 20 two bedroom bungalows for shared ownership (£410,000) as well as 16 two bedroom bungalows and four three bedroom houses for rent (£600,000) in Whinney Banks, Middlesbrough.

• Two Castles Housing Association - 20 two bedroom apartments at Prince of Wales, Carlisle (£ 806,294), and 13 two bedroom homes at Staveley, near Kendal (£868,332).

• Three Rivers Housing Group – 26 units for 96 people at Westoe Crown Village, South Shields Phases 3, 4 & 5 (£852,234), 12 apartments, 6 houses and 2 bungalows (20 units) for 72 people at Florida Street in Sunderland – (£1,230,372) and a Supported Housing Unit in Hartlepool of 10 units for 10 people (£1,372,147)

• Tees Valley Housing Group – 24 units for 112 people at Church Lane in Eston (£ 1,560,000), 20 units for 57 people for extra care at Eston (£1,500,000) and 34 units for 158 people at Whinney Banks in Middlesbrough (£1,530,000).

• Housing Hartlepool – 20 Shared Ownership properties for 78 people in central Hartlepool ( £461,221).

The collaboration, which aims to build better quality affordable homes more effectively and efficiently, at less cost to the public purse means the partnership can bid for funding from the Housing Corporation to create high quality, well-designed, sustainable and affordable homes.
 
Martin Knowles, Chief Executive at Three Rivers Housing Group said: “The Spirit partnership is delighted with the grant allocation from the Housing Corporation.  We hope these new schemes will enhance the partnerships reputation by providing better quality affordable homes across the North of England.”

Bernard Williams, Chief Executive at Erimus Housing said: "This is great news as it will help us meet the housing needs of our local communities."

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