£1m blitz plan for unfit homes

Serious disrepair, structural instability and vacancy rates of up to 92 per cent in some streets in the area have led to high levels of disorder and councillors are keen to regenerate the area.

The clearance proposals would involve demolishing almost 100 houses around Grey Street, Ardwick Street, Holbeck Street and Abel Street at a cost of £1,182, 932.

The money would cover the costs of compulsory purchase orders, demolition and relocation costs for residents.

The latest clearance is part of a ten-year plan aimed at regenerating the Daneshouse area, which is one of Burnley's poorest wards.

Former Mayor Coun Rafique Malik welcomed the latest plans.

He said: "This is part of an programme of house clearances and it is welcome news that we can continue with it. We will have to spend the next couple of years thinking about how the land can be used to benefit the community."

Millions have been poured into the Asian-dominated district over the past decade, with Daneshouse benefiting to the tune of £11.5million, according to official town hall figures.

The ward, still with a sizeable minority of white inhabitants, has a population of 6,500 out of a total borough population of 85,000. In an area as densely populated as Daneshouse, just 40 people went to university last year.

In terms of household income, only seven wards out of 8,400 nationwide were poorer than Daneshouse.

Burnley's unemployment rate stands at 3.3 per cent, while in Daneshouse 5.5 per cent are out of work. In South West Burnley the figure is 4.9 per cent.

Daneshouse was the only ward in Burnley to last year benefit from the Government's Sure Start programme, providing a £3million boost for children up to four years.

The number of families claiming Family Credit was four times higher in Daneshouse than any other area of Burnley and it had a higher than average number of low birth weight babies.

Houses in the area have sold for as little as £1,000.