Ashfield District Council has now applied for planning permission to flatten the rundown area on the Coxmoor estate, which has become a magnet for crime, with some residents dubbing the street 'Beirut'.

The move to breathe new life into the area has been welcomed by folk locally, including Coxmoor Tenants' and Residents' Association chairman George Slack.

He said: "We knew it was going to come about no matter what — but it does need demolishing, as long as they do not touch Glenside, Farm View, Abbey Road, Springfield Way and Walesby Drive. The area started going downhill years ago with drug addicts, alcoholics and trouble-makers."

His comments were backed by other residents who live in the area.

Said Deb Rowe, of nearby Walesby Drive: "I think it should be knocked down because it would stop a lot of very awful people going down there.

"The empty houses do attract a lot of anti-social behaviour and I would like to see new houses, like family houses — it would make it a lot better up here.

"It would be nice to have a park up there for the little ones or a mini supermarket so you don't have to go into Kirkby."

But Steve Winfield, who also lives on Walesby Drive, said that while he agreed that the area needed to be regenerated, he has concerns about the people living there continuing to cause trouble.

He said: "It is a difficult one and they will have to be very careful what they do because it is not the houses that cause the problems — it is the people."