New tenants move into first council homes to be built in South Tyneside for a decade

Residents have been given the keys to six newly constructed houses at Henderson Road, South Shields.

The two-bedroomed properties are the first in a programme of 250 new homes for rent which South Tyneside Council is working to deliver over the next five years.

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Kate Thompson, 38, has just moved into one of the houses with daughter Jessica, and said the pair were thrilled with their new home, particularly the garden.

“We absolutely love it, there are boxes everywhere still but it’s already feeling like home. It’s great to have a garden,” she said.

“I think it’s really important that there’s good quality council houses available. I was previously renting from a private landlord, but they decided to sell the property and I didn’t have the finances to go private again.”

The homes are being built through the Housing Revenue Account, following changes to the cap on council borrowing limits and grant funding provided by Homes England.

South Tyneside Homes is carrying out the construction works and managing the developments on behalf of the council.

This includes six two-bedroom houses at a site at Henderson Road, South Shields and four two-bedroom apartments, three two-bedroom houses and three two-bedroom bungalows at Hindmarch Drive, Boldon.

Cllr Jim Foreman, Lead Member for Housing and Transport at the council, said housing was very important to people’s quality of life, and it was great to see the new homes being occupied.

“These are the first houses to be built by the council in more than a decade and it’s fantastic to see residents moving in,” he said.

“It’s important that there is modern, affordable housing for people to rent in the borough and I think anyone would be proud to call one of these properties home.

“Housing really can change people’s quality of life, which is why we’re committed to developing the kind of homes that our local communities want and need and to delivering on our key priority of investing in the built environment.”

For further information, visit https://www.southtynesidehomes.org.uk/

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