HOUSES on the Moathouse Estate are set to be demolished by the council to prevent vandalism and security problems.

It is likely to take 24 weeks to complete the demolition work at Valley Road in Crewe, and it could be started as early as the end of November.

However of the 10 owner occupiers and 212 tenants on the estate there is still one owner left who has not moved on and about 12 people still have to be rehoused.

The tenants are likely to be relocated by mid December and unless terms for buying the last owner-occupier's property are agreed a Compulsory Purchase Inquiry will be held in the next two months.

It was decided to demolish the estate in 1998 after corrosion was reported to be affecting concrete panels on the buildings.

It was originally planned to sell the land to Bett Homes but following moves by the company to reduce the offer the details of the site are now being distributed again and Bett Homes have been told theIR offer is not acceptable.

A spokesman said: "Rather than leave the buildings standing with attendant costs of security and risk of vandalism, it is proposed that the council should itself demolish the buildings.

"It is felt that early demolition may enhance the market value of the site and could bring forward the date of eventual redevelopment. It is thought that if the estate is empty for any length of time, it will be detrimental to surrounding residents."

The cost of demolition would be about £350,000 and councillors at Tuesday's corporate services committee were asked to recommend this amount as a supplementary budget to the policy committee and approve the remarketing of the estate.

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