Council plans housing kick-start for Margate

A £23m project to regenerate housing in a Kent seaside town will see almost 300 new homes in the area.

Thanet District Council's plans include buying some of the one-in-four empty properties in central Margate and the coastal area of Cliftonville.

Councillors say a decline in tourism has led to many large Victorian seaside homes being turned into bedsits and single flats.

The hope the investment programme will restore empty homes, fund social housing and improve the area.