´óÏó´«Ã½

Plans to buy properties on Wales' most polluted street so they can be knocked down have been signed off.

Senior councillors at Caerphilly County Borough Council have agreed to buy and demolish 23 properties on the A472 in Hafodyrynys.

Nitrogen dioxide levels on the road have been recorded as the highest in the UK outside central London.

Of the 23 homes, 22 have agreed to a voluntary sale and the council is confident all will agree.

To ensure the authority completes the project on schedule, the council says a Compulsory Purchase Order process is required, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

At the council's cabinet meeting, councillor Barbara Jones said: "I would love to see this successfully concluded. It has been a long process."

Demolishing properties in Woodside Terrace, Woodside Shops and Yr Adfa at Hafodyrynys Road, will allow a footpath to be realigned and the project to be completed by December 2021.

The council will offer residents 50% above the market rate for the purchase of their homes, to ensure they do not lose out financially.

The Welsh Government will only compensate residents for 30% above the market rate.

Last month, the cabinet agreed to set aside the remaining £268,000 to ensure that residents are compensated the full 50% above the market rate.

The funds will be taken from the environmental health revenue budget where there is a projected under spend for 2019-20 of £296,000, if the Welsh Government does not agree to fund the shortfall.