Mayor signals start of building for new council homes

WORK began yesterday on the first new council houses to be built in Rotherham for 30 years.

The Mayor of Rotherham, Coun Rose McNeely, turned over the first turf at 3pm on a site at Wood Street, Thrybergh, where 36 houses and apartments owned by Rotherham Council are to be built by George Hurst and Sons.

The 2.3m scheme will be made up of 28 two, three and four bedroomed houses as well as eight two-bedroomed apartments.

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They will be the first of 127 new houses to be built across the town, after Rotherham Council was successful in gaining a 8.5m grant for new council houses from the Homes and Communities Agency.

The next site to see work begin will be at Rother View Road at Canklow, at the end of July, when 29 houses will be built by the Wates Group.

Other sites earmarked for new council properties are Albert Road in West Melton, where 29 houses, apartments and bungalows are to be built by Wildgoose Construction, which is also building 21 houses at Albany Road in Kilnhurst.

Two sites are also set to be developed in Maltby. Eight houses and bungalows will be built at Newland Avenue by Bramalls and four apartments will be built at Stone Park Close by T H Michaels.

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Planning permission has been granted for five of the six sites, with the final one going to Rotherham's planning board later this month.

Coun Jahangir Akhtar, Rotherham Council's cabinet member for housing and neighbourhoods, said: We have wanted to build council houses for many years in Rotherham and, thanks to a great deal of hard work and determination, the council was very successful in its bids.

"This now means that by August 2011, we can offer 127 families and individuals excellent new council-owned properties."

He said the schemes were also equipping people with skills because apprentices would be working on the sites.