DEMOLITION of a prominent eyesore in Basingstoke has begun.

Rye Demolition has started the serious business of pulling down Brook House, in Alencon Link.

The company has been stripping fixtures, fittings and asbestos from the building since October 19, and, after removing 14 huge skips full of material, the firm has now started using a mechanical claw to dismantle the structure.

The building has been a mess since the summer, when the windows were knocked out to prevent vandalism.

Leaseholder Bewley Homes plans to build 30 flats on the site when the housing market recovers, but has agreed to take action to knock down and landscape the site in the meantime following discussions with landowner Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

Colin Brooks, chairman of the development company, said: “It’s a very positive move. I’m sure what we are going to realise will be a better reflection on the approach to Basingstoke than the building that has been there for a long time. We hope to start work on the apartments during the course of the next year.”

Councillor James Lewin, the borough’s Cabinet member for property and finance, said the interim landscaping was a good solution for dealing with the building until development could begin.

“This is an eyesore, no doubt about it,” he said. “It has been for a while and something had to be done.”