COUNCIL tenants who feared their homes could be demolished in a local authority clean-up programme will meet housing officials this week.

People living on the Woodhouse Close Estate, in Bishop Auckland, launched a battle to save their homes after an announcement last year by Wear Valley District Council that 248 properties could face demolition.

After several meetings with residents, the council has announced that it will now look at demolishing individual houses, rather than whole streets.

The authority's director of housing services, Michael Laing, has confirmed that he will be talking to tenants about the issue this week.

He said: "We will be speaking to individual tenants about the future of their homes.

"We are no longer looking at mass demolition. We will be looking at individual houses."

Mr Laing said the council was looking at homes in the Cheesmond Avenue area and those homes that the council felt it would no longer be able to let.

The demolition proposals come as the council is striving to bring its homes up to the Decent Homes Standard that was laid down in recent Government legislation.

Council tenants are also being urged to give their opinion on the overall future of council housing as part of the consultation.

The decision on whether to turn over council house stock to a private housing association will once again go out to consultation following a meeting between the council and members of the Wear Valley Customer Panel last week.

The panel and the authority feel more discussions need to take place with tenants before a final decision is reached.

They are being asked to consider three options under new government legislation - to transfer stock to a housing association, set up an arms- length management organisation, or raise investment through private funding.

Edith Stobbs, chairwoman of the panel, which was set up to provide independent advice to tenants, said: "It is important that tenants and their interests are at the heart of any decisions that are made.

"We look forward to working with the council to ensure that all the tenants have the opportunity to get involved in this process.