Thursday, 02 September 2010

Healey writes off Byker’s £44m debt

5 March 2010 | By Jamie Obertelli

John Healey has agreed to write off £44 million of housing debt to help with the regeneration of Newcastle’s Byker estate.

The housing minister has also given his support to proposals for the estate drawn up by a government-commissioned task force. This was set up in September following the council’s failure to secure £210 million through the private finance initiative.

The proposals for the iconic, grade-two listed estate include establishing a local community trust to manage the regeneration of the area, investing in the redesign of the estate, and prioritising using new technologies and making better use of public buildings. They are designed to bring up to £48 million of investment to Byker.

Professor Peter Roberts, the chair of the Byker task force, will lead work to develop the community trust.

Mr Healey signed a commitment alongside Newcastle City Council and the Homes and Communities Agency to help achieve the vision laid out by the task force.

The minister said: ‘We’ve all made a firm commitment today to work closely with the local community to bring these proposals to life. I want to ensure that tenants play a full part in this process so we can invest together in the best possible future for the residents of Byker.’

Readers' comments (1)

  • Andrew Fiske | 05/03/2010 3:57 pm

    Seems to be on the right lines - the Minister needs to extend the same principles to the national historic HRA debt and the whole country will be able to build again!

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