A MAJOR change in government policy means that Whitefield blight home tenants could remain in their houses.

Bury South MP Ivan Lewis was yesterday given the news that the Highways Agency are to hold discussions with Bury Council and housing associations, when he met the transport minister Baroness Hayman to discuss the M62 relief road saga.

Mr Lewis, who as a local councillor helped fight the proposed road and the problems left after it was scrapped, was delighted with the news.

"This signals a major policy change and I welcome this proposal as the first sign of any progress since this whole debacle took place," he said.

The scrapping of the road in November 1995 left the Highways Agency owning around 300 homes in the blighted area, bought at the owners' request.

Many of the homes had been rented out but a controversial programme of tenant evictions is being carried out by the agency to enable private sales through auctions and estate agents to go ahead.

The meetings with the council and housing associations are expected to lead to the agency selling its remaining 64 tenanted properties in one or more blocks.

Mr Lewis said: "The previous Government's policy of selling the houses off and throwing tenants onto the streets only led to the houses being bought by property speculators.

"Now we have the prospect of people living in Whitefield who want to live in Whitefield, and the further prospect of a return to the pleasant residential area it once was.

"I am delighted that, at last, someone has listened to those of us who have the future of the community at heart."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.