Whinney Banks
Coordinates: 54°33′22″N 1°16′08″W / 54.556000°N 1.269000°W
Whinney Banks is a neighbourhood in the west of Middlesbrough, England. It is within the TS5 postcode area, and it is part of the Ayresome ward. Whinney Banks is bounded by West Lane and Newport to the north, the A19 dual-carriageway to the west, Linthorpe to the east and Acklam and Beckfield to the south.
Whinney Banks was originally an estate of around 550 dwellings, built mostly in the 1930s and 1940s; it formed part of a wider expanse of social housing on the western boundary of Middlesbrough. Over a number of years the estate became unpopular, until, by the late 1990s, over a third of the properties were void. In 1999 the area became part of the West Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Trust New Deal for Communities area, and became a flagship project for housing renewal.
After extensive work with the local community, it was agreed that a fundamental change in the area was required if it was to increase its popularity and dispel perceptions that it was a dangerous area. Work then began on acquiring and demolishing 412 houses in preparation for redevelopment.
In 2004, Bellway Homes was appointed to lead the £50 million redevelopment of the site. This involved the construction of 454 new homes for sale and rent. As part of this initiative, the name of the area was changed from Whinney Banks to Acklam Green, to make it sound more appealing. Currently, there are also 40 properties being built on the site of the former St Francis School, which had been shut down on account of low attendance. Also, four houses and 16 bungalows will be for rent, 20 part ownership. There are also plans for a roundabout to be built on Acklam Road at the gateway entrance to Acklam Green - the redevelopment area in central Whinney Banks.
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