MORE than 30 houses could be razed as part of a £1million scheme to tackle dereliction in ‘the worst street in Colne'.

A survey by Pendle Council revealed that 25 of the 34 houses in the two lower blocks of Walton Street are empty.

Government assessors estimate it will cost the local authority £849,388 to buy the properties and improve them for resale, £886,344 to demolish them and redevelop the site or just over £1million to demolish them and sell the land.

Owners of the terrace prop-erties have told regeneration chiefs that the houses are often used by youths drinking and taking drugs. They described the street as having reached a ‘point of no return’ and are backing plans to demolish all 34 of them.

The council’s housing regener-ation manager now plans to use Regenerate Pennine Lancashire funding to buy the properties using compulsory purchase powers, then demolish them over the next two years. And councillors are being asked to back the proposals.

Possible ways of tackling prob-lems on the street are detailed in a report to Pendle Council’s Colne Committe.

It says that both council officers and owners of the houses are in favour of knocking down the houses because improving them would not necessarily eradicate the problems with anti-social behaviour. Regener-ate Pennine Lancashire has agreed to fund the acquisition of 15 of the properties in financial year 2009/10. Seven ho-uses have already been bought by Pendle Council and bosses are in discus-sions to buy 11 more in the near future.

It is hoped that more money will be made available in the following financial year to purchase the remaining houses.

The street was last year described by Waterside councillor Philip Boyle as ‘the worst in Colne’.

Coun Tony Greaves said the rows were known locally as the ‘coffin blocks’ on account of their unusual shape. He added: “Action is needed very urgently. I went to look at the houses yesterday and the street is now mainly boarded up.

“The top houses are quite wide and have two full rooms but the lower houses are almost one up one down and are very narrow. The second problem is that one side backs on to Burrans Meadow – that block has to come down, I’m afraid.

“I do not like pulling terrace houses down but those two have reached the end.”

Councillors will discuss the report at Colne Town Hall on Thursday.