12 council bungalows next to popular Dudley park to be demolished - five years after getting new roofs
Postwar bungalows are uneconomic to repair, says council
A row of 12 council-owned bungalows next to a popular Black Country park will be demolished - five years after they were fitted with new roofs.
Dudley Council wants to pull down the bungalows next to Buffery Park, saying they have become too costly to maintain.
The council’s housing department has asked planners for approval to demolish the properties in Paradise and Prospect Row.
The homes, believed to date from the early 1950s, were vacated after residents began expressing concerns about cracks in the walls.
Other problems, including tree roots close to the bungalows, design faults with the properties, and poor ground conditions, were also identified. It is also feared that the area might be affected by past mineworkings.
A report by highways officer Graham Timmins, on behalf of the housing department, said the 10 terraced bungalows in Paradise, and a pair of semi-detached homes on the corner of Prospect Row, were now empty.
He said the site would be levelled and grassed, with no immediate plans for redevelopment.
Kathy Jones, director of housing at the authority said repairs would be intrusive and expensive to carry out.
An independent structural engineer had declared the bungalows safe and habitable, but recommended reviews every three months.
“Due to the nature of the likely works, they would be protracted, and as such, costly,” she said.
“The remedial works would prolong the life of the properties somewhat. However, these properties are circa 75 years old and have reached the end of their intended design life.
“As such, this may be cost prohibitive.”
The properties were given new roofs in 2021, and the council had spent about £60,000 on pilings for one of the buildings.
The demolition is expected to cost about £150,000, but the costs will be offset by the eventual sale of the land.
The housing department has given ‘prior notice’ of its plans, asking if the work can be carried out without the need for formal planning permission. The application will now be considered by planners.
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