A group of Leicester tenants were handed the keys to their brand new council homes last week - the first to be built in more than 30 years.

The first nine of Leicester City Council's new council homes, built by Kier Partnership Homes, were unveiled at Calluna Close, off Heather Road, West Knighton.

This first development, one of five sites across the city, includes seven two-bed/four-person homes, one four-bed/eight-person and one four-bed/six-person home for a wheelchair user. Each of the new homes will be energy efficient and economical for tenants to heat - helping to combat fuel poverty.

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Leicester City Council was allocated £7 million of funding from the Homes and Communities Agency in 2009 to provide 146 new council homes via the last government's Challenge Fund initiative. The council funded approximately £8m towards the project.

Leicester City Council Director of Housing Strategy and Options, Ann Branson, commented: "We have been working tirelessly to deliver this project with Kier Partnership Homes. It is incredibly important to the city as there has been nothing like this for more than 30 years. There is still work to be done to increase the range of affordable housing in the city, including much-needed family homes, but we are making real headway."

Kier will complete the properties at Wycombe Road, Laburnum Road and Birkenshaw Road by the end of April and at Godstow Walk by the end of June.

The new properties will range from one-bedroom flats to five-bedroom family homes, with significant provision of two, three and four-bedroom homes that are wheelchair accessible. All of the new homes will also achieve level 4 in the Code for Sustainable Homes.

(CD/GK)