Planners will rule on block of flats
Tuesday 26th August 2008, 6:59PM BST.
Councillors could soon approve a scheme to transform a much-criticised 1960s tower block in Telford.
The proposal, to be considered next week, is to create eight new apartments and build a 12-storey extension to Manor Heights in Haybridge Road, Hadley.
It would bring the total number of flats on the site to 68.
Officers at Telford & Wrekin Council are advising the application be approved, but the final decision rests with councillors, who are worried about parking at the site.
The building has been empty since it was raided by police amid claims it was a centre of drug dealing.
Speculation was rife that it was being earmarked as a centre for asylum seekers.
But developer Russell Harrison Plc, which owns the property, says it aims to modernise the block into luxury modern apartments.
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3 reasons why this idea will not work
1) The flats are a concrete eyesore – no one in their right mind will buy a luuxury flat in the concrete shell which is manor heights
2) Hadley is to be honest a very rough area – not a ideal place to site luxury flats
and finally
3) with the credit crunch the housing market ha gone bottoms up.
It would be better to knock the entire place down and make it into a green play area.
But T & W are opposed to green area’s – they enjoy building on them but NOT maintaining them.
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Actually refurbishment of 1960s tower blocks can be very succesful. There are several good examples in the greater Birmingham area. Including The Sentinals right next to the Radisson hotel in Birmingham city centre.
Hadley isn’t that bad really either, there are way worse places in Telford. But you are right about the housing market though.
As for the green comment, it is much more sustainable to refurbish an existing building than demolish and rebuild and how likely is it that the area would be left as green space?
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In terms of bad area’s in Telford only Sutton Hill and Brookside would rate worse than Hadley – believe me I have lived in telford for the last 15 years
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I would rather live in Hadley than Woodside, Holinswood, Randlay or Arleston as well as the two you mentioned.
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