WORK will begin within weeks on two mothballed North-East housing schemes, under a £4.3m scheme to kick-start the crisis-hit construction industry.

The projects are among 115 stalled developments given the go-ahead by the government yesterday, with the aim of "getting work back on track and builders back on site".

They are: * A £2m Bellway Homes scheme to build 50 homes to rent or buy, on a former industrial site at Kvaener, on the edge of Stockton town centre.

* A £2.3m scheme to build 69 homes to rent or buy, including some through the 'HomeBuy Direct' scheme for low-earners, at West Lane, Middlesbrough, where terraced homes are unfit.

John Healey, the housing minister, said the cash injection was a "rapid response to the recession, to help house-building at a time when the industry needs it most".

And he added: "This 'Kickstart' cash is using the power of government investment to support the country through the downturn.

"I expect all developers submitting bids to offer apprenticeship and local job opportunities for young people in our communities, as part of their plans to get their stalled housing projects back on track."

Mr Healey said 150 schemes had now been rescued, worth £450m and together building more than 11,100 homes and creating, or safeguarding, around 9,500 jobs.

A total of £500m has been set aside for a second round of funding, for which bids have already been achieved to deliver up to 55,000 homes and around 2,000 apprenticeships.

Mr Healey has written to developers and housing chiefs, making clear that to receive 'Kickstart' funds they must offer apprenticeships and local jobs.

The move follows a dramatic scaling back by housebuilders over the past 18 months, as would-be buyers have struggled to get the mortgages they need to buy new homes.