More than £20m is to be spent renovating two of the most deprived areas of Thanet.

A project to improve housing in Cliftonville West and Margate Central has been given the go-ahead.

Rolling out over the next 10 to 15 years, the first stage of the £21m project will involve the council taking over properties that are empty, and renovating them.

It involves Thanet District Council, Kent County Council and the Homes and Communities Agency working together for the so-called ‘Live Margate’ Housing Intervention Project.

They will work together to improve housing conditions, offer a wide range of accommodation and reduce the number of empty and derelict homes in those areas.

Cllr David Green, cabinet member for housing, said: “This project will see much-needed investment in Cliftonville West and Margate Central to bring it back to its former glory and be somewhere where people want to live and invest into.

“This is part of a larger project and we know that intervention is key in transforming the housing market in these two areas.

"Despite many attempts and actions to tackle the issues, the area has continued to decline.

“We know this will be a challenge and will take time but to end this decline, we will purchase property that has been empty or neglected and make improvements."

It comes after a long spell of decline in the area.

Over the years, Cliftonville West has seen an increase one-bedroom flats shared homes.

As tourism has dropped off, many of the large Victorian properties, some previously hotels, have been converted.

This has led to a large number of homes at the lower end of the rental market - making the area less attractive to investors.

The project aims to tackle the areas' deprivation including unemployment, anti-social behaviour and poor management of privately rented accommodation - currently around 78% of properties are privately rented.

KCC Cabinet Member for Customer and Communities Mike Hill, said: “We recognise the real need to help these areas and a major boost to the housing market there will make improvements for residents and the local economy.

"Our commitment to regeneration in Margate can be seen by the creation of the Turner Contemporary gallery and the significant effect it is already having on local businesses, tourism and residents’ sense of pride in living there.

"Through this project we will be working closely alongside Thanet District Council to tackle the issues faced in Cliftonville West and Margate Central and create a brighter future for its residents.”

The next step will be to identify and buy the empty homes and start to fit them out as social housing.