A BOLD initiative to reinvigorate one of Southampton’s best known housing estates, or nothing more than a bit of tarting up?

Residents will be given the chance to decide for themselves after the city council announced plans to develop the Millbrook Estate creating some 500 new homes, as well as shops and a new public space.

First reaction from residents who are to be consulted on the proposals seems favourable, but opposition chiefs on the council say the work is a missed opportunity.

The plans appear to be nothing more than a tart-up of existing buildings, say Tory councillors, and building on a much-needed football pitch.

It is an interesting debate. Certainly the plans are not a complete overhaul of the estate and older buildings will remain. But with funds scarce is such a plan better than waiting for the chance to go for a bigger more expensive project?

We do not know yet whether politics are involved at the level of funding – public purse versus private investment – in this debate. But the resulting decisions could prove a blueprint for future development in the city for similar estates.