HUNDREDS of slum houses are earmarked for demolition to make way for new homes.
Hartlepool Borough Council is responding to concern from residents about rising crime, linked to large-scale deterioration of terraced homes.
Residents complain the price of their property is also being dragged down by the high number of empty and vandalised homes.
The council intends to make up for the need to provide 5,210 homes in the next 16 years.
Housing officers say most of these should be built on existing building sites and have an increased proportion of higher value family homes.
About 120 unwanted homes will need to be demolished each year to meet the demand.
Householders are moving out in response to rising anti-social problems and house prices which are much lower than elsewhere, to live in out-of-town estates, such as Middle Warren. The decline in the standard of housing worsens when cheap housing is bought by landlords to rent as low-cost bed-sits.
Town centre house prices in Hartlepool are about one third cheaper than nationally, with a three-bedroomed terrace home costing about £38,000.
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