Plans to demolish two vacant buildings and replace them with a pair of new homes have been approved.

Earlier this year, a proposal was lodged by Venture Estates, looking to develop the houses on Grafton Street in Moorside.

The two existing adjoining buildings, in a mostly residential area, have been empty for two years, while the plans proposed to knock them down to make way for two three-bedroom homes.

Now, the applicants have been told they can go ahead with the plans after the application was approved.

Planning documents showed the homes, which are set to be targeted towards families, will be designed in an ‘L’ shape, with four car parking spaces available.

The areas around the future homes will be landscaped to provide a shared amenity space to the front, with private gardens to the rear.

Each house will have a living and dining room, kitchen, utility room and toilet on the ground floor, while the first floor will have three bedrooms, one of which would be en-suite, along with a shared bathroom .

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The houses are set to be made from red brick and have a tiled roofs while the stone wall in front of the existing buildings will be removed as well the buildings themselves.

In a planning, design and access statement prepared by Caroline Tamworth Planning, the existing buildings were described as being in a "poor condition" and would require "extensive repair, or possibly completely rebuilding" in order for future tenants to make use of them.

The document added that repairing the buildings would require an unfeasible level of financial investment and the site would be likely to remain vacant and unused unless a new development was to take place.

It was further added that the existing buildings are of "poor visual quality" while the adjacent yard is "unkempt" and prone to vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

The plans were recommended for approval on the basis that the amenity of existing nearby residents "would not be impacted to unacceptable levels" and road safety would not be affected.

As part of the approval conditions, demolition works will only take place between 8am and 6pm through Monday to Friday and between 9am and 1pm on Saturdays, while they cannot take place on Sundays or Bank Holidays.