Two blocks of 'unpopular' council flats are set to be closed down and their last remaining tenants moved out.

Leaders at Stoke-on-Trent City Council have agreed to decommission the three-storey Bell House and Barker House in Blurton, with just 19 of the 60 flats still occupied.

In a behind-closed-doors meeting, cabinet members approved the 'preferred option' of disposing of the site to a social landlord for the development of new affordable housing.

The cabinet also approved the making of a compulsory purchase order if leaseholders do not voluntarily give up their flats – the council could also initiate court proceedings to evict and rehouse tenants 'who may refuse to leave voluntarily'.

The site, off Ripon Road, will be declared surplus to council requirements to allow the disposal to take place.

Cllr Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing and planning at the city council, said the authority had been talking with the tenants and leaseholders on the site.

He said: "Bell House and Barker House have had high void numbers for many years. Only 19 of the 60 flats are currently occupied.

"The bedsit-style flats are smaller than the minimum standards set by government, and communal areas and some of the flats would require considerable work to improve them.

"As a result we have been reviewing the future of these buildings and will be decommissioning the blocks.

"We have already been talking with residents and leaseholders in the blocks and we will be making contact with them again shortly to talk about next steps.

"We are committed to making best use of available sites to provide this city with high-quality, affordable housing option and will be working to deliver a new build scheme on this site in the next couple of years."

In 2023 the council revealed it was looking at redeveloping Bell House and Barker House with new housing, to allow residents to be moved out of the nearby Pedley Court and Robinson Court tower blocks.

-------

READ: RAF veteran recalls childhood memories of VE Day 1945 in Stoke-on-Trent

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stoke Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our city.

Subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter email HERE - just click the 'SIGN UP' button.

Please consider following Stoke Nub News on Facebook, X or Instagram.