Tower blocks demolition plan to be reconsidered
BBCThe planned demolition of 10 tower blocks has been deemed too expensive, leading to a council rethink.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council said the estimated cost of knocking down and redeveloping the 1970s blocks in Burslem, Hanley, Stoke and Blurton was £113.3m. Instead, some or all of them could be refurbished.
At the time demolition was considered some residents told the BBC about "damp" and "unclean" conditions, with water seeping through the brickwork and used needles left in stairwells.
The authority said the now-proposed refurbishment would be the "ultimate brownfield development" in the city.
They said they were considering two alternatives: an "enhanced" refurbishment of all the blocks, or demolishing three of them and refurbishing the rest.
The affected blocks are: Arthur Cotton Court and Port Vale Court in Burslem; Boundary Court, Brookfield Court and Forest Court in Hanley; Dibden Court, Penkhull Court and Southern Court in Stoke; and Pedley Court and Robinson Court in Blurton.
"As far as I'm concerned this is, if you like, the ultimate brownfield development programme, where we're proposing, not to knock the whole lot down, but refurbish them or knock down just the ones in a very bad state," said council leader Jane Ashworth.
"There are 10 blocks, each with around 30 flats – that's an awful lot of homes."
The proposed refurbishment will include improvements such as new liquid membrane roofs, new drainage systems, replacement windows, ventilation upgrades and complete sprinkler system coverage.
Work is expected to ensure extend the lifespan of the blocks for at least 25 more years.
Refurbishing all 10 blocks would cost an estimated £42.4m, while the hybrid option would cost £32.8m the authority said.
There are some flats in the high rise blocks which cannot currently be used, and the hope is that the these could be brought back into use.
A six-week consultation runs from 21 September until 2 November.
This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.
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