THE cost of house repairs in Whitefield, Nelson has come under fire from the man leading a project to plan the future of the area.

The £3.9million Group Repair scheme, part of the government's Housing Market Renewal initiative, is putting double glazing, new front doors, guttering, boundary walls and gates in 180 properties.

But Prince's Foundation senior design director Paul Murrain said he had been quoted £34,000 per house for work in St Mary's Conservation Area - and that's too much.

He said: "The properties are only going to be worth £34,000 when they're put back on the market. Is it worth it?

"We are trying to get to the bottom of how much money's going into it."

Renovation is one of the options for the large number of boarded up properties in Whitefield.