Trouble-hit tower blocks to be axed

Two landmark tower blocks near Walsall town centre which have been plagued by problems are to be torn down as part of an ongoing regeneration programme in the borough.

Thirteen-storey Booth House and O'Hare House, in The Butts, which have been boarded up since late 2006, are to be pulled down by contractors Armoury Demolition later this year.

The properties, in Teddesley Street, were built in 1969 and were owned by Walsall Council before transferring to Walsall Housing Group as part of the large-scale transfer of the authority's housing stock in 2003.

A 200ft nibbler machine will be used to take down the two buildings bit by bit. Initial work, which is due to start at the end of May or beginning of June, will include ripping out the fixtures and fittings from the buildings before demolition work can begin. Work is expected to be completed by the end of December.

Rav Jagdev, spokesman for Walsall Housing Group, said: "The application for demolition has been approved and work will start later in the year. During the work we will be in close contact with Walsall Council's traffic management team to ensure access is maintained to the nearby Butts Primary school. No decision has been taken about the future use of the site and at the moment we cannot say whether it will be developed for housing."

Both tower blocks were plagued by problems in the years leading up to them being closed. Complaints included hypodermic needles being left on the floor and people urinating in hallways, while in 2005 it was revealed that an 18-month-old girl was having to undergo regular HIV tests after stepping on a discarded syringe.

It is the latest tower block demolition planned in Walsall. Other buildings to have already bitten the dust include Ball and Leadbeater House, off Bloxwich High Street, while a number of buildings off Old Pleck Road, in Pleck, have disappeared to make way for the £20 million Oxford Place development.