TWO areas of Southampton in desperate need of new housing will benefit from a £1.75m land sale

project aimed at building more than 50 housing association homes.

Council Cabinet bosses have agreed to sell off land in Jersey Close, Lordshill, and Radcliffe Road, Northam, to housing associations to develop a mixture of one to five-bedroom homes on the sites.

The Jersey Close land, earmarked to accommodate 24 new homes, is a precinct currently made up of two underused parking areas, four empty shops, with four flats above currently occupied on short term lets to the council's homelessness section.

The site in Radcliffe Road, which will eventually contain 35 new homes, is currently overgrown and many residents have

complained that it has become an area for anti-social behaviour among youths.

Hyde Housing Association, Swaythling Housing Society, and Presentation Housing Association will be the three social landlords for the new homes.

Latest figures show the average price of a house in Hampshire has shot up to a staggering £147,000 - making the need for affordable housing more important.

Welcoming the proposals for new homes, Councillor Jacqui Rayment said: "This kind of development in these two locations has been talked about for a number of years and I'm very pleased this is now happening.

"The Radcliffe Road site has attracted a lot of anti-social behaviour which has left a lot of residents in the area very uncomfortable. Hopefully the new housing will help put an end to that."

Cabinet member for housing and homes, Dennis Harryman, added: "Residents on the Channel Islands estate who have suffered with vandalism and nuisance behaviour will be excited by the plans for Jersey Close."

The sale of the two sites also complies with Southampton City Council's aim of increasing the amount of affordable housing in the city over the next five years.