Homes plan for tower block

A tower block in Telford which has stood empty since being raided by police six years ago is set to be transformed into a multi-million pound block of 60 contemporary homes.

West Midlands developer Barteak plans to transform Manor Heights, in Hadley, Telford.

The company, which bought the derelict flats off Wrekin Housing Trust last year, expects the complex to be worth £6 million after the revamp.

Telford & Wrekin Council has now granted planning permission for Barteak to start the revamp by converting the existing communal rooms on the ground floor into three flats.

The plans also include alterations to the external facades, demolition of the existing garages and the creation of a car park area and landscaping.

Residents in Hadley believed the flats, which they described as an eyesore, were going to be converted into an asylum centre until the development plans were revealed last year.

They had previously called for the block to be demolished.

The Haybridge Road flats, which were closed down in the wake of a huge police raid in 2001, were plagued by social problems and it was alleged they were a centre for crime.

The police raid, which saw the tower block closed down, brought 30 arrests and smashed the area's biggest drugs ring.

Building work is now due to start and is expected to take 12 months to complete.

Birmingham-based architect Turner Woolford Sharp has been appointed to come up with the design concepts.