A new bid to demolish part of an internationally-known housing complex sparked a row over its architectural significance.

The Byker Estate, in Newcastle - which includes the Byker Wall - has been recommended for Grade II* listing by English Heritage and a decision is pending from the Department of Culture.

But Newcastle city councillors are also being asked to back plans to knock down a terrace of homes on the estate, which are empty and boarded up.

The demolition plans centre on Whickham Gardens on the south side of the estate.

Council chiefs say there is no demand for the one-bedroom flats and that the clearance will improve conditions for tenants living close by.

English Heritage, and experts such as university lecturer Peter Fauset, who lives on the estate, have appealed for a rethink.

The Byker estate was masterminded by architect Ralph Erskine and built between 1969 and 1982.

It is expected an estate conservation and management plan, drawn up by the council and funded by English Heritage, will be ready next year.

Mr Fauset, a reader in architectural design at North-umbria University, said: "If I was asked to name the half dozen great housing estates in the world, I would include Byker. It is of international significance."