Tower block 'to be demolished within six months'
BBCA city's only residential tower block is set to be demolished within six months.
Clapham Court, on Alvin Street in Gloucester, will be replaced by 34 affordable homes, after Gloucester City Council granted planning permission.
Gloucester City Homes (GCH), which manage the building, has said it hopes to start construction of the new properties within 12 months.
Chief Executive Guy Stenson said the first phase would include "stripping out the tower internally" before it is brought down "gradually".
Why demolition?
Clapham Court was built in 1963 and is made up of 80 one-bed flats, mainly for the over-55s.
GCH said the tower block has high maintenance costs and no longer meets current housing demand.
Stenson said with about 5,550 people on Gloucester City Council's housing waiting lists, there's a "real need" for three and four-bed homes, as well as flats.
"There are people living in Gloucester who need a home that they can afford, a home that is of good quality, is cheap to heat, cheap to run," he added.
What is being built?
A first planning application submitted by GCH was refused in 2024, because of concerns about parking and the layout.
The new plans will see the 11-story tower block demolished and replaced by two six-story buildings.
There will be 34 homes, a mix of 13 houses and 21 flats, with one, two, three and four-bedroom properties available.
When will work start?
Stenson said the work would be done "piece by piece" over the next four to six months.
"The first part of that work is just stripping out the tower internally and then gradually bringing it down. Our current expectation is that will be completed in the early half of the new year.
"We will then be looking to appoint a contractor to work with us to build those new homes,", he added.
"We hope to be starting to build the homes within the next 12 months."
What about the residents?
GCH said 80 residents from the building had already moved into new homes or independent living schemes.
They are now working with the final resident to "find the right fit, the right match for him", Stenson said.
All material containing asbestos will be removed prior to demolition, he added.
A letter drop will also be made to residents living near Clapham Court, with information about the works, duration and a contact number for the contractor.
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