Derelict housing blocks set for demolition

Residents have campaigned for years for the derelict buildings to be removed

An application to demolish two derelict housing blocks likened to properties in a "war zone" has been approved.

Rivergrove Ltd wants to flatten the buildings on Maltby's Little London estate in order to build 15 new homes.

Despite people living nearby having campaigned for improvements to the site, 20 objections were lodged, raising concerns about loss of potential community space and whether the development would lead to long-term improvements.

At a meeting on Wednesday, council planning officers said it was a comprehensive plan that would remove unsafe buildings and improve the area.

Councillors visited the site ahead of making a decision before granting outline permission for the development, which will span multiple plots on Churchill Avenue, Greenland Avenue, Morrison Avenue, and Greenland Avenue South.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, several residents voiced concerns about the impact of derelict buildings on health and wellbeing.

Sheila McGrath, of Greenland Avenue, told the meeting: "For over ten years I have been working to bring these derelicts down because of the amount of harm they are doing to the health and wellbeing of our communities.

"The site has been a persistent source of vermin, damp, mould and anti social behaviour. "

Michael Staples, from Morrison Avenue, branded the site a "stain" on the face of Maltby and said: "Day after day, week after week, I saw rats running in and out of those derelicts, into residents' gardens and into their homes.

"I've seen many neighbours develop the kind of respiratory problems that are a result of living around so much toxic black mould.

Meanwhile, councillor Adam Tinsley said parts of the estate had been "left to rot," adding: "Three years ago, these houses were wide open with live gas and electric still connected. These homes now resemble something from a war zone."

The application, submitted by Rivergrove Ltd, which owns 64 of the 138 properties on the estate, includes 15 two-storey houses across three sites, with a fourth area designated as public open space.

The developers have been told they must submit landscaping details within one year and begin work within two years of full approval.

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