The Government has thrown financial muscle behind a bid to build up to 10,000 new homes in Carlisle.

Housing Minister Kit Malthouse today announced that Carlisle City Council had been successful in securing £300,000 towards its St Cuthbert’s Garden Village vision.

It would see developments in the south of the city taking place from 2020.

Mr Malthouse said: “We have not built enough homes in this country for the last three decades, and we are turning that around as we work towards our target to build 300,000 properties a year by the mid-2020s.

“This funding is the next step on the road to delivering 10,000 properties in Carlisle.”

The Government has already given £548,000 towards developing proposals.

Council leader Colin Glover told colleagues this week that the scheme is critical to the future.