Looking for cash injection to kick-start estate regeneration

By Emily Winsor emilywinsor@hotmail.com

A CASH injection is needed to kick-start the second phase of the multi-million pound regeneration of a St Ann's estate.

Nottingham City Council and housing association LHA-ASRA say they hope to secure money to bring the next phase of improvements on the Stonebridge Park estate – but admitted it could take up to two years to find.

The estate is being regenerated by the council, LHA-ASRA and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Phase one of the development, building 95 homes at a cost of £22m, was partly paid for by kick-start money from the HCA, which provided £5.7m – but no kick-start cash is available for phase two.

LHA-ASRA chief executive Matt Cooney has high hopes that the next phase, of 115 more houses and 48 flats, will begin in the next two years

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Former city council district housing manager Mr Cooney said: "Times are tough at the moment and we do not have the same funding privileges for phase two that we had for phase one.

"We are currently looking at ways to finance the completion of the estate – and we hope to secure funding soon so that phase two can get going."

He said he was pleased with phase one of the regeneration.

"If you go back in time to the early 1990s when the buildings were all grey and drab and compare it to today, it looks totally different.

"I take my hat off to Nottingham City Council because they are doing this at a very difficult economic time when other local authorities would shy away from it.

He went on: "Our hope is that the effect of phase one will lift the value of some of the existing properties in St Ann's too and the area will begin to flourish."

He added: "The idea is basically to rebrand the area by the time we are finished as something different and new – something which gives aspiration to those who live there."

Part of the plan is the recently completed Albany House, a £9m supported housing scheme for elderly people which was built by LHA-ASRA on the former site of Welland Court, a warden-aided complex in St Matthias Road.

St Ann's city councillor Dave Liversidge, portfolio holder for housing regeneration and community sector, said: "Phase one of this scheme has been brilliant and we're really keen to build on that success with phase two.

"We're in active discussions with our partners in the private and public housing sectors, including housing associations, to provide funding to take phase two forward to the same great success."