North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has responsed to the announcement by HM Treasury, on the Forth Yards development site in Newcastle.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said:
"We're building more homes right across the North East and it's great to see the Chancellor back my plans for 5,000 new homes on the Forth Yards site. "We're showing that if we're given the right tools, the North East can get on with the job, in County Durham, in Sunderland, in South Shields and now in Newcastle.
"The site we're talking about here is land that has been left mostly unused for 20 years, a wasted opportunity for our region on the banks of the Tyne and close to the city centre. It is exactly the kind of site we should be putting houses on. Now, we'll create jobs building up the site for homes where families can lay down roots for the future."