A HOUSING association has been given the go-ahead to dev-elop a £7m housing programme throughout the North-East.

Three Rivers Housing has received the all-clear after receiving a grant of over £4m from the Government through the Housing Corporation.

The group is ready to start building 83 affordable homes in County Durham, South Tyneside and Sunderland, which will be subsidised through private borrowing.

As well as providing homes for people, the programme will contribute to the regeneration of these areas, by bringing new life to various communities in the North-East.

Three Rivers chairwoman Clare Hepworth said: "This is good news for us and the region. We could not do this without the support of our local authority partners, who have been working closely with us to put together the programme in the last year to address local needs.

"Affordable quality housing is one of the many jigsaw pieces in any regeneration programme. "

The homes will be largely available for rent with some being developed to support people with special needs.

There will also be an opportunity for people looking to buy their own homes to participate in a number of ownership schemes in County Durham.

Housing developments are also planned for retired people.

One such scheme, planned for the old cattle market in Barnard Castle, is aimed at improving the landscape. It aims to make a difference to the community by building flats to provide for the lack of affordable homes in the area, where house prices have risen significantly over the years