Member Article

£20m for Loftus regeneration

A £20m revamp of a troubled estate in the south of the region has moved a step closer. The masterplan for Loftus’s Westfield Estate has had outline planning permission from Redcar and Cleveland Council.

Coast and Country Housing is to spend millions on the controversial estate to bring its housing provision up to 21st century standards with work scheduled to start in the summer.

The scheme involves the demolition of 116 properties and construction of 123 new houses and apartments, which will be available to both buy and rent.

The first phase, comprising the construction of six homes, has been approved by the Coast and Country board and also has support funding from the Government’s Homes and Communities Agency.

The masterplan, to be rolled out in stages over a five-year period, was drawn up after an extensive consultation process with residents living in the Westfield area. About 200 homes are being retained and there will be substantial investment to bring them up to Decent Homes standards.

The estate’s outdated layout will be remodelled to make it more open and accessible with improved car parking, public spaces and living environment.

Iain Sim, Chief executive of Coast and Country Housing, said: “Coast and Country’s extensive plans to breathe new life into the Westfield estate, which will be one of the single largest investments made in East Cleveland in recent times, is all about making the area a much more pleasant place for people to live in.

“We have worked very closely with residents and will continue to keep them updated as this major regeneration project progresses.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .