A council scheme to help regenerate some of Thanet's most deprived areas has seen almost £1.1 million invested, with an additional £350,000 committed by property owners.
Phase one of the Margate Central and Cliftonville West renewal programme was launched in 2005, with the Council agreeing a £1 million programme of grants, to assist property owners improve the safety or external appearance of their buildings. The other three phases of the renewal programme were launched in 2008.
The programme will come to an end in March 2010 and, over the time it has been in place, the programme has been fully allocated, with the additional money spent coming from Regional Housing Board Funds.
The Renewal Area Grants scheme is just one initiative aimed at improving housing and social conditions in one of Kent's most deprived neighbourhoods. Over recent years, the council has focussed on tackling empty and derelict buildings that have blighted some streets. Initiatives to tackle environmental problems and improve the appearance of the area have been backed up with a regime of regulating private sector landlords to ensure that properties are kept in good repair. Loans and grants have been made available to landlords to improve housing conditions for their tenants.
As well as improving the quality of housing in the area, work has also focused on reducing crime in the area, improving waste and recycling and improving the green spaces within the area. A number of Operation Clean Sweeps have taken place in these areas, tackling a range of anti-social issues, including dealing with housing and planning enforcement issues, dumped rubbish and improving fire safety measures.
Cllr. Zita Wiltshire, Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: "There's no doubt the Renewal Area Grant scheme has been a huge success and has improved the appearance of many streets in the area. We have a long way to go to tackle the underlying problems faced in these areas but small initiatives like improvement grants make important contributions raising standards and making Cliftonville and Margate a better place to live. We would love to continue the scheme beyond the £1m that has already been spent, but we can only afford to do this by selling other assets."
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