New housing plan launched for Fylde Coast

The local authorities for Lancashire, Blackpool, Fylde, and Wyre have joined with the Homes & Communities Agency to set out a housing priority plan for the area.

The Local Investment Plan is not only setting out housing priorities for the area over the coming years but will also support the delivery of the Fylde Coast housing strategy.

The LIP for the Fylde Coast details how an appropriate supply of new housing, investment in existing homes and work to improve the attractiveness of residential neighbourhoods across Blackpool, Fylde, and Wyre aims to deliver prosperity and an improved quality of life for all residents.

As part of the plan, the Fylde Coast has already been awarded £3.8m from the HCA towards housing and regeneration projects across the peninsula, which is hoped to benefit the whole area and deliver priorities agreed in the Fylde Coast housing strategy.

The investment is expected to help deliver over 80 affordable houses and flats over the next 12 months, including work at schemes in South Beach, North Shore, Fleetwood and Stalmine.

The local authorities said this will help meet priorities for new affordable housing and make local neighbourhoods better places to live.

Damien Bourke, interim chief executive of the Blackpool Fylde & Wyre Economic Development Company, said: "The Fylde Coast has a clear housing strategy which ensures that we are future proofing our housing provision and also providing housing that our communities want and need now. This is one of the first programmes that the Fylde Coast councils have worked on together and it shows that joined up working across local authority boundaries really does work. I am very proud to say that we have been involved in working on this investment plan and securing this investment and have enjoyed working with all the partners involved. I hope it will be the first of many success stories for the Fylde Coast and will improve the lives of those living and working here."

The Blackpool Fylde & Wyre Economic Development Company was set up to deliver inward investment and regeneration across the Fylde Coast.

The economic development company has the full backing of council leaders and chief executives in Blackpool, Fylde, Wyre and Lancashire County Councils and is also strongly supported by both the North West Development Agency and the Homes & Communities Agency.

Blackpool Fylde & Wyre Economic Development Company said the various housing projects are being delivered by housing association partners.

Planning permissions have been agreed for all projects and work has started on all sites. It is expected that all of these housing projects will be completed by spring 2012.