Going, going, gone! The demolition of Henson Villas is now complete, after contractors completed a project to raze the empty flats to the ground.
Hull City Council enlisted a contractor last month to demolish the former homes, and they made quick work of the scheme, flattening the flats which have stood on the land since the 1950s. All the former residents had found new homes ahead of the demolition, which the authority said had been actioned “to prevent the vacant site attracting anti-social behaviour”.
Henson Villas had lain vacant for sometime, and a question mark had hung over the site’s future for a number of years. Now, however, the plot of land is set to be redeveloped to create new council homes. These images show how the villas – built in the 1950s to replace dwellings which had been heavily damaged during the Second World War – were swiftly reduced to rubble.
The three blocks had been named after a former Lord Mayor of Hull – Alderman John Henson – and were initially offered solely to female workers, as part of the city’s efforts to recover from World War Two. However, Hull City Council said they had become “increasingly unsuitable for modern housing needs”, were “financially unviable” to renovate and update to current housing standards and have experienced low levels of demand.
Campaigners had made a bid to protect the blocks, suggesting they could be added to Hull’s Local Heritage List of historically significant buildings. But in 2024 that request was refused by the council’s planning committee, removing any potential obstacle to the demolition of the buildings.
Ahead of contractor moving in, Cllr Paul Drake-Davis, portfolio holder for Economic Renewal, Housing and Organisational Development, said: “The appointment of a contractor is an important step in progressing the demolition of Henson Villas following the relocation of all residents from the site.
“These buildings have been vacant for some time and have become increasingly costly for the Council to maintain and secure. Their demolition will remove a source of anti-social behaviour and improve the appearance of this prominent location adjacent to Pearson Park.
“The cleared site will provide an opportunity for future housing development and support the Council’s ongoing work to increase the supply of quality homes across Hull.”
Did you know you can make Hull Live a preferred source of Hull news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it straight away by clicking here.