Bulldozers to flatten derelict shops

Long-suffering Black Country residents are celebrating after they were told that a derelict precinct blighting their lives is finally to be knocked down.

The eyesore block of maisonettes and shops in New Street, Portobello has stood empty and boarded up for years.

Now the plot of land has been sold by the city council on condition that the three storey row of vandalised buildings is demolished.

Lynn Holder, aged 50, who lives in Albany Court alongside the development that has become a magnet for fire raisers and fly tippers: "This is great news - and the perfect start to 2012.

"They have been nothing but trouble for years and the problems have been getting steadily worse. I have had to call out the fire service five times this summer.

"Now all we want to know is when the buildings are going to be demolished."

Mrs Violet Hill, aged 70, who also overlooks the site from her home in Vernon Close, said: "The area was once dubbed the gateway to beauty. It now looks more like a war zone and the sooner it is knocked down, the better."

Conservative Councillor Steve Hall, whose East Park ward includes Portobello, said: "I am delighted that the end of this long battle to get these buildings demolished is finally in sight.

"They are at an important gateway to the city and give a dreadful first impression to visitors as well as being an awful eyesore for people living nearby."

It remains unclear exactly when demolition work will start at the rundown site.

Wolverhampton City Council estates surveyor Dawn Toy said today: "We will now be working closely with the preferred bidder with a view to concluding the sale of the land as soon as is practicable.

"The terms of the disposal include the requirement for the successful purchaser to demolish the existing structure and clear the site."