A RUN-DOWN street in Ferryhill Station is to be declared a clearance area.

Tomorrow, Sedgefield Borough Council's cabinet will be asked to approve the proposal to demolish Chapel Row, where 23 out of the 25 houses are unfit for human habitation.

The council has set aside £250,000 to demolish and landscape the street.

Consultations have already taken place to gain residents' approval and help decide what should replace the buildings.

In a report to cabinet, director of housing and environmental health Glyn Hall says that two of the houses, numbers 24 and 25, are fit to live in, but will recommend that the entire street is knocked down.

He said: "It would be silly to leave them out because they are on the end of the terrace and they would be standing on their own."

Only two of the properties are occupied, so there should be no rehousing problems.

The next step will be for the council to purchase the houses it does not own.

Mr Hall said: "We already own some, because we bought some up by agreement, and we know who some of the other landlords are. But with some we have no idea who the owners are. If we can't find out, then the only recourse is compulsory purchase."

Mr Hall said he could not put a timetable on how long the process would take, adding: "When we serve the formal notice, people can appeal, and if that's the case, we have to have a public inquiry.

"If there are no appeals and everybody's happy to go ahead, then we can move relatively quickly."