THE redevelopment of a notorious Tonge Moor estate is breathing new life into the area.

Work on building 65 new homes on the site of what was De Lacy Drive is due to be completed early next year -- and some houses are finished already.

De Lacy Drive had become a hotspot for crime and anti-social behaviour and the council decided that it should be demolished and redeveloped.

As the new homes go up, people living nearby have welcomed the development. It has been christened Brierwood and it will have:

Fifteen bungalows to be let by the council.

Fifteen houses to be part sale/part rent through the company Plumlife.

Thirty-five homes to be sold privately through Richardson Homes.

The first phase of the Richardson homes are priced from £72,950 for a two-bedroom bungalow to £97,950 for a three-bedroom detached.

Sales of the private homes are going well and each of the rented bungalows has already been allocated to families, even though the homes have not yet been built. Joan Holden, sales manager with Richardson Homes, said their homes were proving popular.

She said: "We have sold a number of the houses just from the plans, which is fantastic. To be honest, I was initially a little worried about trying to sell the houses, but it has gone so well."

Some residents living around the site had raised concerns that extra traffic created by the building project could put pedestrians at risk. But those living in houses on Ainsworth Lane, which backs on to the new development, welcomed the transformation.

Amy Whitehead, aged 19, of Ainsworth Lane, has recently moved to the area. She said: "It is an improvement and it's good for the area. I don't think I would have moved round here if it was still as it was before."

Jean Merrick, aged 58, has lived on Ainsworth Lane for 32 years. She said: "I didn't have any problem with De Lacy Drive or the children that lived on the estate, but I think the new houses will be good for the area."