Monday 14 September 2009

New Council homes to be built in Wigan

Housing Minister John Healey has given the green light for work to begin building over 2,000 new council homes that will help create over 5,000 jobs in the construction industry.

Wigan is one of the seven councils in the North West who will receive a part of the £127m government funding to build the homes.

Wigan will build 14 new homes at a cost of more than £1.8m, with £980,000 coming from the government and match funding from the council.

Eight homes will be built in Windsor Avenue, Astley, and a further six will be constructed in Etherstone Street, in Leigh.

This is the biggest council house building programme for almost two decades and it will be the first new council houses Wigan borough has been allowed to build since 1985.

Construction will begin on the first sites before the end of the year.
A second wave of projects is expected to be announced in the autumn.

This major cash injection is part of the Prime Minister's £1.5bn Housing Pledge announced in Building Britain's Future in June.

In total 51 councils submitted bids.

They had to represent value for money, help meet specific local housing needs and be able to begin construction before March 2010.

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