PENSIONERS are living in fear of being turfed out of their cherished homes after a social landlord unveiled plans to bulldoze their street to make way for private housing.

Elderly residents in Newton Aycliffe's Clarence Green have vowed to fight proposals by housing provider Livin, which would see them relocated - to properties with potentially higher rents.

Livin, which manages about 8,400 homes across County Durham and includes "sustaining strong communities" in its strategy, is proposing to demolish the bungalows as part of a scheme designed to improve the efficiency of the running of its properties in the long term.

It has unveiled a blueprint to build homes for market sale and relocate the tenants to apartments or bungalows on nearby Travellers Green, which is also due to be flattened.

The landlord deems the 1960s-built prefabricated properties as unfit for purpose, but residents insist they are well-kept and do not want to move.

Widower Frank Daniel, who has lived on the street for 21 years, said: "There's no way I'm going out of here unless it's in a wooden box. I'm not going out of here to create a new home. It's a really nice area. There's no one here who is happy about it. We haven't any complaints at all of this place."

The 86-year-old added he and his neighbours, many of which are also in their 80s, were concerned that they would be about 90 years old when the development was completed.

Other residents said they had invested time and money into their properties and believed they are in good condition.

Ted Harris, 81, who has lived in the street with his wife Mary for 15 years, said the consultation was a "kick in the teeth".

"We're the people who came along and built this town and kept it going as it is," he added. "They want to move us out so they can put up expensive property here."

Works are intended to be carried out in three phases starting in January next year and ending in September 2020.

The redevelopment of the Travellers Green area would begin first and would see the construction of enough elderly and disabled accommodation to accommodate existing tenants, including those in Clarence Green.

Taking place last would be the redevelopment of Clarence Green for private sale homes, which Livin states would make the scheme affordable.

Livin states the homes in both streets are not energy efficient and would be costly to refurbish and maintain.

New homes for the current residents will be rented at prices which could be higher, though Livin states they could save costs on utility bills.

Overall, 19 Livin customers in the area will be affected by the scheme.

Vicky Miller, community regeneration manager for Livin, said: “We are committed to delivering modern, energy efficient, affordable homes for older people.

"The construction of the current homes does not meet the required standards and all existing tenants will be offered a new bungalow built to a high standard if the plans go ahead.

“Throughout the process we will support our tenants to minimise any disruption and ensure their views are taken into consideration.”

The consultation ends on July 7 and a meeting of the Livin board will take place the same month.