Post-war apartments to be demolished

Work to demolish three former apartment blocks in Hull is expected to start next week.

Hull City Council said Henson Villas, on the south eastern edge of Pearson Park, had become "increasingly unsuitable for modern housing needs" and were "financially unviable" to renovate.

Campaigners previously tried to protect the blocks, suggesting they be added to Hull's Local Heritage List of historically significant buildings.

Councillor Paul Drake-Davis said the demolition would reduce anti-social behavior and improve the appearance of the area.

The buildings comprise three two-storey blocks containing 24 flats.

They were built on the site of two Victorian villas in the 1950s to house female workers as part of the city's efforts to recover from World War Two.

Despite the villas being built in an area surrounded by Victorian properties, council documents state they "do not attempt to mimic, or fit in with, the architectural style of the existing Victorian properties".

In 2024, the council refused the request made by campaigners to add the flats to the Local Heritage List.

The council said all former residents had now been rehoused and demolition works are beginning next week to prevent the vacant site attracting anti-social behaviour.

The authority said, once cleared, the site would provide an opportunity to build new council homes as part of its housing growth programme.

The project would see 840 new council homes delivered across the city.

Drake-Davis said appointing a contractor to carry out the work "is an important step in progressing the demolition".

"These buildings have been vacant for some time and have become increasingly costly for the Council to maintain and secure," he said.

"Their demolition will remove a source of anti-social behaviour and improve the appearance of this prominent location adjacent to Pearson Park."

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