A 141-home scheme in Redcar is the largest development to get Kickstart funding from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) in the first batch of successful bidders.

Housing Minister, John Healey, revealed the first 10 developments to get the go ahead for a slice of more than £1bn made available through the budget and the Housing Pledge.

In Redcar, Coast and Country Housing Association will receive just over £4.5 million to unlock Steeple Chase, a scheme to include more than 90 social rented homes in an area suffering market failure.

Developer Lovell Partnerships, has been awarded more than £2.6 million for a 58-home scheme in Gilead Street, Liverpool. Persimmon Homes will receive more than £2.4 million across five schemes in the South East and West Midlands, unlocking 274 homes; while Barratt Developments was awarded funding of more than £600,000 for three of its schemes in the South West and Midlands, totalling 267 homes.


In total funding of more than £10.2 million was awarded to ‘kickstart’ 740 homes, that are a mixture of market sale and affordable.

Chief Executive of the HCA, Sir Bob Kerslake said: "Kickstart isn't just about unlocking more homes, it will also be the catalyst that delivers a much wider set of benefits to local communities including job opportunities, apprenticeships and accommodation for vulnerable people. This first set of successful bidders is just the start, we'll now be working through the remaining bids with the aim of finalising all the allocations for this first round in the next two months to ensure that schemes start-on-site by March 2010."

It was announced in July that more than 270 schemes - seeking over £900 million in funding and with the potential to deliver up to 22,400 homes - had been short-listed for the first round of Kickstart money.

Bids have been received from a range of developers – including national and local house builders and housing associations – across all the English regions.

A due diligence programme is underway by the HCA to assess shortlisted bids to ensure that they represent value for money; can deliver on time; fit with local housing needs; and offer job opportunities.

(CD/BMcC)