Council leaders say the proposed refurbishment of up to 10 tower blocks will be the 'ultimate brownfield development' in Stoke-on-Trent.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council previously planned to demolish and redevelop the 10 high rises in Burslem, Hanley, Stoke and Blurton, which date back to the 1970s.

But this option is now considered too expensive, with an estimated cost of £113.3 million, and so the council is instead considering two alternatives: an 'enhanced' refurbishment of all the blocks, or demolishing three and refurbishing the rest.

At their meeting on Tuesday, Labour cabinet members agreed to rescind the earlier in-principle decision to demolish the blocks, made under the previous Conservative administration, and send the two new options out to consultation.

The affected blocks, which together contain 374 flats, 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.

Council leader Jane Ashworth said: "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.

"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. The work is expected to ensure the blocks can be used for at least 25 more years.

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Refurbishing all 10 blocks will cost an estimated £42.4 million, while the hybrid option would cost £32.8 million.

Cabinet members said that while the previous redevelopment proposal had not been costed, the council would now be able to make an 'informed decision' once the consultation with tenants and leaseholders had been carried out.

Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for regeneration, said: "I'm looking forward to hearing what the consultation comes back with, and the fact that there will be sessions held in each of the tower blocks is important. I encourage everyone to take part in the consultation because their voices do matter.

"From my perspective, it's really important that everything we do around housing is about making sure people have a safe, warm, decent roof over their head."

Chris Robinson, cabinet support member for planning, added: "There are some high rise blocks where we can't use all the properties, so with a refurbishment those properties will be brought back into use, which will help reduce the waiting list."

The six-week consultation is set to run from 21 September to 2 November, after which a further report will be brought back to cabinet.