Hundreds of high-rise homes are to be demolished in Birmingham and Rugby as a result of decisions to knock down seven tower blocks.

In Birmingham the council is demolishing five large panel system tower blocks as part of a £43.3m regeneration project of the Druids Heath Estate in the south of the city. Three more tower blocks on the estate will be refurbished including structural strengthening, re-roofing and new external wall insulation. The council is planning on building 250 new homes on the estate to replace those demolished, with 150 for affordable or social rent and 100 for sale.

“It’s fantastic to see the regeneration of Druids Heath moving forwards in this way,” said Sharon Thompson, the council’s cabinet member for homes and neighbourhoods. Just over 30 miles away to the east in Rugby, two tower blocks at Biart Place are to be demolished after they were found too expensive to fix. The high-rise blocks are considered to be “beyond economic repair” – costing £20m to fix, whereas for an extra £3m the blocks can be knocked down and replaced with new council homes The future of the two towers has been in question since residents were told they had to move after an investigation found the large panel buildings were built to “a poor standard”.

Over 90 of the 124 flats at Biart Place are already empty with both blocks expected to be empty by next March. Neighbouring high-rise blocks at Rounds Gardens are in better condition and will not be demolished. Michael Stokes, leader of Rugby Borough Council, said the total cost of repairing and replacing homes could be as much as £60m and he would be approaching the Government for financial support.

By Patrick Mooney, editor