AN estate containing 522 homes is to undergo a complete redesign to improve safety, costing nearly £1 million.

Residents and tenants on the blighted Victoria estate in Whitefield will see the area transformed under the "home zone" project.

The area is among a number of estates in the North West to benefit from the Government's latest round of Home Zone Challenge funding.

The scheme will allow Bury Council to redesign the streets as places for people, not just traffic.

Deputy leader of the council and Besses Ward councillor, Derek Boden, said Victoria estate had a very good case for them making the £900,000 bid as it was one of the oldest council estates in the borough.

Councillor Boden said: "The estate was built in the 1930s but, to be honest, the layout rather reflects the 1920s!

Obviously at that time there were not many car owners but now many of the residents own cars like everybody else. It is a tightly confined area with a large amount of traffic and an equally large number of children living on the estate who, understandably, wish to play near their homes." Coun Boden said the grant would help ease the "conflict" between the two and improve safety for everyone.

Local MP Ivan Lewis said it was "wonderful news" for Whitefield and said local residents, of which one-third had bought their homes under the right-to-buy scheme, had a unique opportunity to improve the environment and put in place measures that will attack crime and anti-social behaviour.

Although the residential streets are shared by motorists and pedestrians the idea of the scheme is to use innovative colour and design of road surfaces in order to reclaim some of the streets back for residents.

There will be restricted access to several roads, to reduce speeding and racing cars, and car parking facilities will be improved.

Street lighting and dark alleys will also be addressed.

Coun Boden said: "Our aim is to improve the overall appearance of the estate, which in turn should lift spirits. By slowing traffic and creating better play provision it will calm the whole environment."

A pilot home zone scheme in Northmoor, Longsight, has been hailed a success and thanks to improved lighting residents say they feel safer going out after-dark.

Mr Lewis said it was a "massive investment" for one estate and added: "In recent years there has been a general feeling of decline and decay on the Victoria estate. I am delighted for the decent majority on the estate who can now look forward to the improved quality of life they deserve."

The scheme will form part of a complete regeneration of the Victoria estate area which includes new homewatch schemes, security marking for personal property, and on-going modernisation of council property.