Tower block to be replaced by affordable homes

A tower block is set to be demolished in the spring to make way for affordable housing.

Hillsborough House, a block of 28 flats in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, was built as social housing in 1965 but no longer meets modern structural standards.

Housing association Alliance Homes, which owns the building on the Bournville estate, said it planned to knock it down in spring as it seeks planning permission for 36 new homes, all of which will be for social rent.

The people currently living in the tower, all social housing tenants over the age of 55, are being relocated after being told about the demolition plans in July 2025.

Planning permission was granted in August for Alliance Homes to demolish the tower block.

The housing association is now seeking permission to build 36 homes, ranging in size from one to four bedrooms, across the site on Selworthy Road.

The development also covers the long-vacant site of the former Bournville Infant School next door.

In its planning application submitted to North Somerset Council, Alliance said: "The site has the potential to be an exemplar of how new development with 100% affordable housing can be carried out in the Bournville estate."

The firm said houses would have private gardens, while maisonettes would have private balconies and shared gardens.

The development would also retain the green space that will remain accessible to the public and create a fenced-off area where dogs can be taken off their leads.

Alliance said it decided to demolish Hillsborough House and its sister tower - Alexandra House in Lonsdale Avenue - after structural surveys required by post-Grenfell building safety laws were carried out.

Structural engineers said the buildings were not immediately dangerous but could face longer-term risk in the event of a major explosion or impact.

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