A REGENERATION programme designed to breathe new life into a rundown part of Teesside has reached the midway point in the ambitious multi-million pound project.

West Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Trust (WMNT) has a ten-year plan to spend £52m redeveloping the area through initiatives driven by the people who live there.

And flushed with early successes, the driving forces behind the scheme are bristling with a new-found confidence.

The latest project to leave the drawing board is the conversion of the Whinney Banks estate into a modern residential area.

More than 450 homes will be built during the redevelopment and the first group of homes will be apartments, bungalows and houses for rent by older people, many of whom have lived in Whinney Banks for most of their lives.

Trust chairwoman Joan Ford said: "As we move on from the halfway point, we have got a fresh confidence, a track record of delivering on our promises and a new vision for West Middlesbrough for generations to come.

"All of our achievements to date have been made possible through sheer hard work, dedication and partnership working. That includes residents, partners and staff."

In the past year, to curb thefts, WMNT has made cash available to provide more than 3,000 households with SmartWater, which leaves a unique forensic code on property that can only be picked up using ultra-violet light.

To stamp out anti-social behaviour, the group has funded two police community support officers to patrol the streets, as well as footing the £250,000 bill to create safe walkways and security improvements in the area.

Mrs Ford, who last year received an OBE for her work on the project, is now focusing on the next five years and beyond the end of the New Deal for Communities (NDC) funding.

She said: "We still have five years left of the NDC money, to make sure we achieve all that we set out to do in 2000.

"WMNT is taking a serious look at the future, to make sure we can keep the momentum going and carry on delivering services that our communities want and need."

Plans in the pipeline for next year include the building of a new neighbourhood base on the site of the former Meath Street Community Centre and Carlow Street Clinic.

The thoughts and needs of residents will continue to be at the forefront of every initiative to come out of the trust, said Mrs Ford, with growing input from the residents' panel, which draws on the opinions of more than 200 people.

Mrs Ford said: "I hope that the enthusiasm and the successes continue as we lay the foundation for an organisation that will be around for many years to come.

"Together, we can make it happen."