A GOVERNMENT grant will accelerate work to improve Orchard Park, preventing the estate turning into "a desolate wasteland", says a city councillor.
Hull City Council has been awarded £15.1m through the Affordable Homes Programme 2015 to 2018 to tackle the shortage of housing stock across the city.
In total, 634 affordable rented homes will be built in the city and, within that figure, 178 homes will be created in the Danes area of Orchard Park.
It will help, to some extent, offset the impact of losing the estate's tower blocks.
In May, the city council announced Gorthorpe and Kinthorpe high rises are to be demolished after a city council U-turn.
It was agreed two years ago to keep the blocks and include them in a £15.3m housing investment plan for the area.
However, councillors ruled refurbishing them would be too costly.
Councillor John Black, portfolio holder for strategic and operational housing, said: "Now we have decided to demolish all the tower blocks, I can not think of anything worse than to have continued demolishing and not been in a position to replace the homes.
"We would have solved the problems caused by the high rises, but we would have created a desolate wilderness and residents would have a complete lack of confidence in the local authority.
"This extra cash announced by The Homes and Communities Agency will enable us to accelerate our house-building programme in Orchard Park.
"The people of this estate will significantly benefit as a result."
In 2010, the Government scrapped its £160m housing scheme for Orchard Park.
Hull North MP Diana Johnson has given the latest funding a cautious welcome, but believes it needs to be seen against the backdrop of the axe in funding.
She said: "This is positive news, but the total amount is only about a tenth of what we were supposed to get in 2010.
"Orchard Park is one of the most deprived wards in the country. There needs to be more done to improve housing here."
Cllr Black said he agrees, in principle, with Ms Johnson's conclusion, but believes the council has to work with the resources it has at its disposal.
He said: "Diana is very right. The scheme of four years ago would have seen money spread over a number of years and significantly helped.
"But the decision was made at the general election to scrap it, so the local authority introduced a considerably scaled-down house- building programme.
"This latest funding, which is extremely welcomed by the local authority, will speed up that programme.
"This type of grant, in the past decade, has only been awarded given to housing associations. It has not been available to local authorities."
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