AN eyesore in west Middlesbrough is undergoing a £95,000 demolition to make way for a park.

The former Institute for the Blind, in Stockton Road, has been unused since 1986 and has become a target for vandals and arson attacks.

It is being demolished as part of the £52m West Middlesbrough New Deal for Communities (NDC) regeneration programme, designed to breathe new life into neighbourhoods in the area.

Middlesbrough Council tried to buy the building in the late 1980s but it was sold at auction to a London businessman, who planned to develop it for student flats.

The scheme was not developed and since then the building has become derelict and vandalised.

The council now owns it, after being granted a compulsory purchase order for the property in September last year.

Joan Ford, resident and NDC board member, said: "Local people are delighted that after all this time, we've now got the opportunity to get rid of this monstrosity.

"The building has been a blot on the landscape since the eighties and has caused a whole range of problems for local residents. The demolition can't happen a minute too soon, and I'm sure that residents will breathe a huge sigh of relief when it disappears.

"We'll have a new open space in the West Lane area which will be a real boost for local people."

The demolition work is under way thanks to funding from the NDC, and is expected to be complete in March.

After the debris is removed, the area will be grassed over and will become part of the adjacent Carter Park - creating a valuable open space in the West Lane area of Middlesbrough.

Plans for the near future include carrying out environmental improvements in the park, and the West Lane Residents' Association has set up a steering group to develop the proposals.