Inverclyde Council has denied claims that it has suspended demolition notices in the Clune Park area.

Clune Park is an area of traditional tenement housing in Port Glasgow, and has been for around 100 years. However, very little has been invested in communal repairs over the years.

As a result, the standard of housing as well as antisocial and criminal behaviour, have caused significant issues for residents and local people in the area. The Council has said that around 95% of the flats in the area are owned by those who do not actually reside in the area, while others are owned or managed by private landlords.

A feasibility study was carried out in 2007, and it was concluded that the estate was unsustainable, with the only economically viable option being to demolish and clear the site.

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A professional assessment of alternative reports provided by the owners of properties in Clune Park was then undertaken by the Council and these were received earlier this month. The assessment has since been completed and the Inverclyde Council has said it does not affect its intended plans to address the "intolerable" housing conditions in the area.

A statement released by the local authority read: "It is absolutely untrue to say that demolition notices have been suspended. The council had been approached by legal representatives of some owners of properties in the Clune Park area and had undertaken to examine a report which was eventually presented by them.

"The council also took the view that legal discussions are best held between legal representatives and not played out in public. Sadly that doesn't appear to have been upheld by owners and we now require to correct the wholly inaccurate assertions made about our position. Residents of Clune Park should be assured that Inverclyde Council is committed to supporting existing tenants and residents and seeing a new future for the Clune Park area."

It added that any additional structural work being carried out in properties is because the council will examine properties on an ongoing basis to assess the structural position, and not because of the report provided by some of the owners.

(JP/MH)