COUNCILLORS are hoping to repeat the success of a groundbreaking scheme in one of Teesside's most run-down areas.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council cleared an area in the north of Grangetown and then offered discounted housing to long-term owners who had to relocate.

The scheme was commended by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and recently featured on a Sky News report.

It is anticipated that the success of the Grangetown housing project can be repeated in South Bank, where the council has commissioned an independent survey from people living in the older housing there.

If approved, the housing clearance and development project in South Bank would incorporate a retail centre, health and social care village, leisure facilities and woodland.

The council has already made significant progress in both Grangetown and South Bank, thanks to a cash injection of £24.1m from the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB).

This was boosted by a further £23.2m from public and private sources over eight years, from 1996.

As well as housing, improvements have been to community facilities, training and education, and security cameras.

In the past four years, burglary levels have fallen below the national average and educational standards have risen.

In the past five years, the number of people claiming unemployment benefits has fallen by 38 per cent in South Bank and almost 23 per cent in Grangetown.

Many residents who have been re-housed have commented on their improved quality of life.

A youth forum is now run from Grangetown library, which was originally set up to counter anti-social behaviour.

Lifelong Grangetown resident Sharon Wilson runs craft sessions for local children there.

She said: "The area's changing for the better now. Schemes like this in the heart of the community make a big difference to youngsters.

"It gives them a boost and makes them appreciate things a lot more.

"It gets them involved in the community, which can only be a good thing for the future of the area."