WORK has begun to demolish a large social housing block in Redhill to make way for 19 self-contained flats, a small meeting room and office space.
Colne House, which is run by Raven Housing Trust – the borough's biggest provider of social housing – had fallen into disrepair in recent years with trust bosses saying it was no longer usable.
After plans were approved by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council in February to flatten the land in Linkfield Lane, building work is now set to begin within the next few months.
The new build will house 19 flats along with associated parking and landscaping. It's hoped they will go some way to relieving the emerging housing crisis with councillors stating the loss of Colne House was a big reason the problem was so bad in the area.
Raven Housing's Susan Lea said: "We're on track and have started the demolition process and stripping out the inside. They'll now be working to demolish the whole building. It was just a really old style temporary accommodation with shared facilities but the new build is going to have self-contained units which will benefit the local area."
