A NEW delivery plan will ensure a multi-million- pound project to transform Crosby goes ahead.

The £17-million Advance Crosby scheme has set out to create a better future for the area, which is in the centre of Scunthorpe.

North Lincolnshire Council officials are working on the new plan for the project, which originally set out to replace more than 100 houses with 222 new properties and a range of community facilities over 15 years.

A council spokesman said: "We have rationalised our expectation to reflect the current housing market but are still pushing for the biggest positive impact we can.

"We are not planning to build just a few new houses but to undertake a comprehensive regeneration as per our original goal. It may be that timescales change to reflect growing confidence in the market over a period of time.

"The delivery plan we are working on will give us a clearer understanding of what is achievable short, medium and long term. This plan is due to be completed shortly and we will go out to the public with the key information once it is available."

As reported, several houses in the West Street area have now been demolished, with plans in place to start on the new builds within the next two years.

Flowers were planted on the sites where houses used to stand, providing an improved visual amenity during the wait for the next stage of the development to take place.

North Lincolnshire Council's cabinet member for housing and strategic planning, Councillor Mick Grant, said: "We are now working on a development plan to establish exactly how far we can take the scheme.

"Phase one, which covers West Street, looks very feasible and so now we are drawing up a brief to help find a development partner to start building in the next couple of years. Earlier this year, we held a developer day that saw national, regional and local firms attend to find out more about the project.

"Those developers, along with others who have been in touch, have said they are interested in the site.

"Crosby's Memorial Gardens caught their eyes, as did the school and the area's proximity to the town centre. Demolition work has been taking place and we used a local firm to carry it out.

"There has been a lot of positive feedback from the community and passers by about the wildflower meadows that were planted up on the sites where houses have been demolished.

"The council has also clamped down on fly-tipping and graffiti to help tidy up the area.

"We were very keen to keep the area looking good while it undergoes this major transformation and the flowers have looked stunning over the past few weeks."

West Street resident, Brian Drewry, 75, said he also liked the flowers. He said: "It looks nice and it is better than having boarded-up houses.

"Most of them were boarded up and they used to get vandalised.

"It looks a lot better now."

Mr Drewry said he understood the financial pressures being faced by the council but was pleased the Advance Crosby scheme and others in the town were continuing. He said: "I understand the financial situation isn't brilliant at the moment, with the Government cancelling things like schools, but they are still going ahead with this."