Member Article

£40 million South Tyneside housing investments stimulating economic growth

South Tyneside Council invested around £40 million in housing in the Borough during 2014.

Members of the council will receive an update this week on progress made over the last 12 months on the Decent Homes programme, new homes, affordable housing, and accommodation for older people.

More than 3,000 homes have been brought up to the Decent Homes standard by the council and South Tyneside Homes, with £30m invested into the programme last year.

Thanks to an additional £8.4m of funding from the Homes and Communities Agency, Housing Plus accommodation now benefits from wifi and upgraded out-of- hours alarm and security systems. State-of-the-art conservatories have been installed in 19 of the schemes and four sensory rooms for residents with dementia have been built.

Other partners, including House Builders and Registered Providers, have also invested tens of millions of pounds.

Developments and sales are progressing well, with homes at sites such as the multi-award winning Cleadon Park, The Maples in Monkton Fell, the Wynde in South Shields and the key riverside regeneration site Trinity South proving popular.

And the Borough’s new housing company, South Tyneside Housing Ventures Trust, had a particularly busy year. As well as buying 40 new homes at Simonside and Trinity South, construction of 88 properties in Jarrow and South Shields is well underway and 10 empty private sector homes have been purchased to bring back into use.

Lead Member for Housing and Transport, Councillor Allan West, said: “We delivered significant housing investment in the Borough during 2014 and we continue to identify opportunities for further investment this year and beyond.

“The knock-on effect of this is that it is providing local jobs and creating the right conditions to encourage private sector investment and stimulate economic growth.

“Research shows that for every £1 spent in housing and construction, £2.84 is generated in the local economy.

“Housing has such a major impact on people’s lives. We’re committed to providing good quality, sustainable housing across all tenures to meets the needs of our residents and create thriving communities.”

The housing investment update will be presented at a meeting of full council on Thursday January 15.