BUOYANT house prices are proof that a £5 million regeneration scheme in East Bury is working, say town hall bosses.

Council homes around Willow Street and Shaw Street were pulled down and replaced with new homes for sale, shared ownership and rent.

The East Bury Initiative is four years into a seven-year plan to improve housing and the whole environment of the area. Bury Council says that one home has just sold for £110,000, with others nearby doubling in value in four years.

Projects provided in the area include the Walnut Avenue allotments and resource centre, a community art project, neighbourhood wardens, a parent and toddler group at the New Kershaw Centre, and Citizens Advice Bureau sessions at Acorn House.

Councillor John Byrne, leader of the council, said the house price rises showed how the area was bouncing back.

"When we first sat down with local people to consider how to move forward, I don't think many of us could have predicted how popular the area would become," he said. "The council and residents have worked together in a very positive partnership and in many ways this has become a model of how we will work in the future."