The Council plans to demolish the Score Centre, the football pitches, the line of the magnificent Lombardy Poplar trees and the old Coronation Gardens annex.  Their plan is to develop 5 blocks of flats from 3 to 18 storeys.  Half are designated as ‘affordable’ (needing a household income from £60k to £100k – the average income for the area is less than £30k) and only 120 flats planned for social housing.  The rest of the flats will be part rent and part buy which is still probably ‘unaffordable’ for local people.

Lib Dem Focus member Bob Sullivan says:  Who gains? Not local people.  Mainly it will be the developers.  You would have thought that, as the Council owns the land, it would have given more of a chance to those families on the housing waiting lists to have a home.  However with only 120 being social housing and the others either shared or not ‘affordable’ their chance is very slim. Surprising as the Council, with a waiting list of thousands, has a housing policy as a top priority but not, it seems, for local people.