Grim housing conditions in a deprived part of Bradford - called the 'forgotten triangle' - are to be tackled by a pioneering company.

A £28.5 million Government grant for Barkerend has given hope to hundreds.

Action will be spearheaded by a new non-profit company, led by Bradford and Northern Housing Association, which would have a board including residents, housing professionals and councillors. It would draw up house maintenance training schemes to enable people to help themselves.

A shadow board set up to administer the entire regeneration project has decided against individual improvement grants because of the scale of the problem.

Tim Whitfield, regeneration co-ordinator from Bradford Council, said: "There is a problem because the cost of bringing some of these houses up to scratch would cost more than the property.

"Employment is a key factor in housing problems because people have no jobs and cannot afford repairs and improvements."

He said it was hoped the company could carry on after the seven year SRB programme finished and be self-sufficient.

Mr Whitfield added the company would be the first of its type in the district and one of only a few in Britain.

Statistics submitted to the Government in a bid to win the cash revealed that almost one in three of the private houses in an area including Leeds Road and Barkerend Road were unfit to live in. The stark figure, which takes into account street after street of rundown back-to-backs, is the highest in Bradford. Conditions include dampness, overcrowding and serious disrepair.

SRB board member Rashid Ahmed, manager of the Karmand centre, said: "There are very serious housing problems but because of the scale, the SRB funding is a drop in the ocean."

The total cost of the entire regeneration scheme will be £71 million, taking into account anticipated matched funding from other sources.

Aims include the creation of 450 jobs, a 20 per cent reduction in crime, the creation of 220 new homes and reducing burglary by a third.

Residents have welcomed the investment. Mohammed Shaukat, of Killinghall Road, said: "This area is known as the forgotten triangle of Bradford. We haven't had any cash since 1973. It used to be one of the best areas in the city 30 years ago so hopefully this money will help restore its reputation."