The £5million transformation of a rundown Wolverhampton estate is ploughing forward after workers moved in to start preparing the land.

More than 30 homes on Bilston’s Lunt estate have already been demolished to pave the way for the new long-awaited development, which residents hope will mark a new era for the area.

A new housing development of 44 homes will now start taking shape next month.

The council is trying to find new houses for two families so their homes can also be bulldozed, although dozens of houses in Boswell Road, Addison Place and Chantrey Crescent were saved after a campaign by residents.

Under the authority’s original regeneration hopes, more than 100 homes faced being demolished and replaced with a brand new development.

But the proposals to wipe out three entire streets caused outrage among residents, leading to 28 homes being saved.

Resident Ann Nightingale, aged 69, of Dartmouth Crescent, who spearheaded the campaign against original plans to bulldoze more than 100 homes on the estate, IS delighted with how the project was progressing.

She said: “The area already looks so much better since the demolition.”