Heath Town's flat! – Tower blocks demolished to make way for new homes

Demolition crews have moved in on outdated flats in Wolverhampton paving the way for hundreds of new homes.

The empty tower blocks in Chervil Rise, Heath Town, are being knocked down to make way for more than 300 new homes.

The demolition and clearance work is due to continue until the summer.

The Heath Town project was built in several phases - phase one was approved in 1967 and consisted of two 22-storey towers (Alder and Brockfield Houses) and one 20-storey tower, with phases two and three approved in 1968 and consisting of one further 20-storey tower. Princess Margaret opened the estate in April 1969.

Heath Town councillor Milkinder Jaspal said: “This is a welcome site and the demolition is long overdue.

“We should have done this years ago.

“Work started before Christmas and we are moving in the right direction.”

Councillor Jaspal, who visited the site yesterday, said the flats have been demolished.

Photographs taken on site this week show heavy machinery chipping away at the buildings. Before work began the buildings had been vacant for some years.

The demolition programme will also remove garages, a disused underground car park, 36 maisonettes and other vacant buildings.

The programme will pave the way for the development of more than 300 brand new homes for sale and rent, including new council homes, across several sites as part of the revised Heath Town Masterplan.

There will be a mixture of one and two bedroom apartments, two bedroom bungalows and two, three and four bedroom houses. Each home will have its own parking.

Phase one began in November where walkways and garages were demolished in the Hobgate Road area. Other work included disconnecting and re-routing the district heating pipework.

The ground and lower floors of Ling House were also refurbished to provide new office, meeting and activity space for the Hope Family Centre.

The demolition of the flats marks phase two of the project. Once complete, Wolverhampton council will look at procuring the site.

The programme forms part of the council’s Heath Town Masterplan which aims to rejuvenate this part of the city.

Birmingham-based DSM Demolition won a contract worth £941,367.55 from the council to carry out the demolition.

Wolverhampton council bosses said the local authority is also making investments in leisure facilities and car parking around the estate.

Welcoming the progress of the project, councillor Peter Bilson, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for city assets and housing, said: “The contractors are making great progress on the demolition and already dramatic changes can be seen.

“It is exciting times as we move ever closer to developing new homes on the Heath Town estate, the majority which will be houses with gardens.

“The council continues to develop plans for the regeneration of the estate, as well as investing in improvement of the existing homes and blocks and improving play, leisure and car parking provision.”