Plans to redevelop vandalised flats

A HOUSING association has said it is planning to redevelop an empty block of flats in Runcorn.

Tanhouse in The Brow has been vacant since last year and last month police warned that it had been targeted by yobs and vandals.

It was also hit by a suspected arson attack on Saturday, August 12.

Plus Dane said it intends to have worked out its plans for the building in coming months.

The building was vacated before the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Alec Gaston, Plus Dane director of asset management, said: “The Tanhouse scheme has been emptied while we explore redevelopment options.

“We are working with the local authority to identify the most appropriate scheme for the site, and are hoping to have something worked up and agreed by the autumn.

“We are committed to finding a solution for the property, with redevelopment the preferred option.”

The future of the boarded-up former Old Transporter pub, which is attached to the block, is unknown.

Halton Borough Council, which recently revealed it owned the leasehold on the alehouse, has not responded to a request for information on its plans.

Plus Dane owns 13,500 homes across Cheshire and Merseyside and employs more than 500 staff with an asset value in excess of £570m.

Its Halton properties in Halton include houses in The Brow and Castlefields, where it played a major role in the estate’s regeneration.