FLINTSHIRE will not be “flooded” by council tenants made homeless by the demolition of Flint’s crumbling maisonettes, say housing chiefs.
Shops, homes and council buildings will be built in a move set to transform the town over the next five years.
The plans still need approval from elected members of Flintshire Council, who are set to vote on the recommendations in January.
If they get the go-ahead, the 241 maisonettes, built in the early 1970s, will be demolished in phases.
Tenants will be re-housed, given a ‘home-loss’ payment and have removal costs paid.
Fears had been raised those left homeless after leaving the maisonettes would be given priority ahead of others waiting for homes.
During a meeting of a housing scrutiny meeting, Connah’s Quay councillor Bernie Attridge said he supported plans to give those made homeless by the development priority for housing, but it should not be to the detriment of other parts of the county.
He said: “This has a major knock-on effect to other wards. There are people who cannot get local accommodation.
“The way I read this report, those from the maisonettes would be given priority for housing.
“There are people in Connah’s Quay waiting for a home.Will they have to wait longer?”
But Helen Brown, executive member for housing, reassured concerned members.
She said: “It will be a phased decant from the maisonettes. It won’t be that the whole county will be flooded.”
Clare Budden, the council’s head of housing, said: “A huge majority of people want to stay in Flint.
“There will be a few people who want to move to Holywell or Connah’s Quay, but there are only a small number who want to leave Flint.”
Mr Budden said tenants could be housed in Flint’s high-rise flats and in other parts of the maisonettes which she said were under occupied.
She added with the maisonettes being demolished in a phased development, tenants would be able to move back in to completed sections of the maisonettes.
If plans are approved work on the maisonettes would start early next year and tenants will be rehoused and given a £4,700 ‘home-loss’ payment and removal costs of £300.