Community spirit being built with social housing.

The Government is demanding that by 2010 all social housing should meet the Decent Homes Standard. In the North-East, practitioners are doing their level best to achieve this by providing a range of innovative housing solutions. This standard of decency is part of the Government's plan to create sustainable communities across the UK. And in the North-East, social housing providers are beginning to satisfy housing demand in both rural and urban areas.

To ensure that this momentum is maintained, many of the private sector providers are ploughing existing funds back into carefully thought-out home improvement and investment programmes. The result is that the North-East skyline is changing for the better.

New and innovative housing estates are emerging in town and city centres as well as suburban and rural areas. Existing homes are being modernised and the general feeling is that the region is a great place in which to live and work.

However, the provision of social housing continues to be a significant part of a much wider agenda. The 21st Century consumer is a demanding soul and in today's climate, providers have to think about a diverse range of factors, not just about bricks and mortar.

The erection of good quality, affordable houses is all well and good. But providers are also considering the much wider picture of how buildings fit in with the overall design and make-up of entire communities. Indeed, to the consumer, open spaces and parks are just as important as the foundations on which his home is built.

As a course of common practice, housing providers are consulting with residents to find out what improvements they would like to see on their estates. Feedback has suggested that residents would like to see a reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour, an increase in community safety measures and a drop in the number of empty properties. They also say that they would also welcome the introduction of initiatives that would create a healthier environment and improve the attractiveness of the estates.

There is plenty of evidence in the North-East to suggest that this consultative approach is paying off. Housing advisors across the region have been working with the police, local authorities and, of course, the residents themselves to put in place a diverse raft of initiatives to breathe new life into local communities. And increasingly, people who had previously expressed concern about taking up occupancy in certain estates are now viewing them as desirable places in which to live.

Partnership working, it seems, is the way forward if the North-East wants to continue to be a place where people come to work and live. Providing affordable, quality homes remains a top priority for housing providers, many of which are also buying into other initiatives aimed at raising the general quality of life for local people. And a number of useful networks are being forged to ensure that strong, sustainable communities are being built throughout the region.

Architects, builders, designers and housing providers are realising that by working together, significant cost savings can be passed on to the customer. This becomes even more important in the context of spiralling house prices and utility costs during the last six or seven years. Since the turn of the century, house price growth has outstripped earnings and young people are finding it increasingly difficult to get their feet on the property ladder. Although house price increases have tailed off in recent months, many people in their late-20s and early-30s have discovered that they cannot afford to buy a home of a decent standard.

With most experts predicting modest increases in house prices rather than drastic falls during the next couple of years, the Government is urging social housing providers to create quality homes at affordable prices. This is being achieved gradually and in some parts of the region, homes are on sale from as little as pounds 70,000.

In addition, mortgage providers are coming up with innovative new packages targeted specifically at the first-time buyer. And for those who prefer to rent, letting agents in the North-East are pricing their fees sensibly. Some agents are even offering tenants an option to buy the property at a later stage. Social housing providers in the North-East have made an excellent start in their attempts to meet the Decent Homes Standard.

But with 2010 just around the corner, they are refusing to rest on their laurels. Instead they are thinking of new ways in which to pass on cost savings to customers and create sustainable communities.