Plans to demolish Avenham tower blocks lodged for Onward Homes development

Plans to demolish three tower blocks in Queen Street in Avenham are in.

Onward Homes are planning to build 380 new affordable homes on the former Horrocks Mill site.

Carlisle House, Richmond House and Lincoln House are the blocks which are mentioned in the planning application but no date for discussion has been set.

A spokesperson for Onward said: “Last year, we reached a decision to demolish the three towers blocks in our Queen Street and Avenham neighbourhood and replace them with modern homes that better reflect the housing needs of the local community now and in the future.

“Since reaching this decision over twelve months ago, our number one priority has been supporting residents to find another home in the area, focusing on Richmond House initially as this is the first block that will be demolished.”

The Horrocks Mill development which is due to be built in Avenham

They went on to say “most residents” have now found another home and that they are supporting others to find a new place to live.

“We have a comprehensive package of support in place including financial support through to help with packing and moving belongings. We would encourage any residents living in Richmond House who have not started to look for another home to get in touch with us so that we can discuss the options available to them,” they added.

Explaining when the next steps involved, they said: “The next step in re-developing the area is to appoint a contractor to demolish Richmond House. We expect to do this in the New Year, with the demolition due to start in summer 2024. This means that any residents living in Richmond House will need to have an offer on another property or have accepted one by the end of January 2024.

“Before this happens, we will continue to engage with residents on an individual basis to understand how we can best support them to find another home.”