MORE than 75 empty properties in Bolton have been brought back into use as homes under the Greater Manchester Empty to Plenty scheme.

The project has seen Bolton Council and Bolton at Home awarded funding to breathe new life into abandoned properties, ready for families to move in.

Through the campaign, the 10 Greater Manchester councils have joined forces with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and local housing associations to transform empty buildings, with up to 900 empty homes across the region expected to be renovated by March 2015.

Among the buildings revitalised was the former Hare and Hounds in Bury Road, Breightmet, which had been empty since it closed in 2008.

A £400,000 refurbishment grant from the campaign and investment from its owners has now seen it converted into 14 new flats, under the new name Jayden House.

Bolton Council’s cabinet member for housing, Cllr Kate Lewis, said the partnership between the local authority, Bolton At Home and HCA has helped create vital new homes.

She added: “This is good news for residents as well as for neighbours living next door to previously empty houses.

“This has enabled us to address some of the issues associated with long term empty homes, improve the environment for the wider community and address issues for neighbours living next or close to these properties.”

Funding from the Empty to Plenty campaign has also seen work start to transform a former printer’s workshop in Belvoir Street into 18 flats, with construction expected to be completed in January.

Chief executive of Bolton at Home, Jon Lord, said: “We’re pleased to be in a partnership that’s doing so much to help bring back into use buildings and properties that have lain empty, improving areas and increasing the supply of much needed homes in Bolton.

“We have every intention of continuing to work with the council and private developers to build on this success, and look forward to adding to the numbers that we’ve already achieved.”

Marie Hodgson, the HCA’s Head of Area for Greater Manchester, said: “It’s great to hear about the positive impact our investment is making and to know that many more families in areas across Greater Manchester will be moving into refurbished homes in the coming months.”