EIGHT Horton homes are set to be demolished despite official opposition from South Somerset District Council.

Yarlington Housing Group consulted SSDC on the proposed disposal of numbers 23, 25, 27, 30, 31, 33, 34 and 36 Riverside, Horton.

The lead officer for SSDC recommended that the council not agree to the proposed disposal, and the council officially confirmed their opposition last month.

Now, Yarlington has confirmed that they will go ahead with the demolition, as well as a number of other disposals across the region.

The portfolio holder and the chairman of scrutiny, councillors Ric Pallister and Sue Steele, visited the site before the decision was made.

The portfolio holder's report said: "The ward member Cllr Linda Piggott-Vijeh has made clear her objections, which are centred around the failure of Yarlington to use the income generated to replace with new affordable housing in the same locality, echoing concerns raised previously at the scrutiny committee over the gradual erosion of rural housing.

"She is also aware of concerns raise by other residents on the impact on parking as the proposed redevelopment will also remove a number of parking spaces."

In Cllr Piggott-Vijeh's Ilminster division county councillor report, she added: "In response to local concerns, and in consultation with myself as ward member, SSDC has formally responded to confirm opposition to Yarlington’s proposal for the disposal of eight properties in Horton.

"Last winter incumbent tenants were relocated to alternative accommodation and as Yarlington has estimated the cost of redevelopment to be prohibitive, they plan to demolish the complex and gain planning permission to build private dwellings.

"The proposal will not produce any new affordable housing."

"The implications of this and several similar proposals across the area have been considered and I am in regular contact with those concerned."

A spokesman for the housing group said: “Yarlington has sought to extensively consult with the local authority and relevant ward members on this matter, at both meetings and site visits.

"Whilst Yarlington acknowledge the feedback provided, the building in question is beyond economic repair and would require substantial levels of investment in order to bring the properties back into use.

"The required level of investment outweighs current levels of demand for this type of property within this location. For this reason it has been identified as appropriate to dispose of these properties and reinvest the income generated into Yarlington’s Growth (New Development) programme."

Cllr Piggot-Vijeh's report added: "Across the district, current activity in relation to asset disposal is causing consternation.

"Despite severe misgivings, the decision was taken by SSDC’s portfolio holder this month to agree to the proposed disposal of several Yarlington owned properties at Donyatt Hill."

Despite being asked a number of times, Yarlington spokesmen have still failed to disclose the number of properties they are currently looking to dispose of in South Somerset.

The spokesman instead added: "Yarlington’s number of property disposals remains very low in comparison to stock holdings (more than 10,000 properties).

"However, due to a large proportion of Yarlington’s stock being transferred from SSDC in 1999 and its age, the majority of disposals will be in South Somerset.”