Sandwell Council has secured the social housing investment from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) that will see a total of 450 properties built in the borough by 2015.

A mixture of private sale and rental homes will be available from the scheme which is expected to bring in an additional £49 million work of private investment to the borough.

These new homes are part of a broader programme of new build housing being delivered by partners which will deliver in total 2,500 new homes in Sandwell by March 2015.

The agreement is part of the HCA's Affordable Homes Programme, which is set to deliver 80,000 new affordable homes across England by 2015, 13,500 of which will be in the Midlands.

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A number of development sites across Sandwell have been identified and the work is expected to get under way on some of the schemes as early as this summer.

Councillor Darren Cooper, Sandwell Council leader, said the grant was great news for the borough.

"We welcome being able to work with the HCA to kick-start housing building in Sandwell. Building 450 new homes is a good target but we are hoping to see even more homes built in the in the coming months and years. The projects will also provide significant employment and training opportunities by linking in with the council's Think Local and Find It In Sandwell initiatives."

Assad Hamed, area manager for HCA Midlands, said: "This agreement is great news as it will see much-needed new homes delivered across Sandwell borough and make a significant difference to the local communities in which we work.

"Our local team has worked closely with the council over recent months to ensure that its programme brings the maximum benefit for local people. But in many ways, the hard work starts now and we will be focused on ensuring that people in Sandwell see the benefits of our investment over the next four years."

(CD/GK)