A sheltered housing scheme in Wrotham is to be demolished to make way for affordable housing.

This morning it was announced that the bulldozers are to move into St George's Court, a warden assisted sheltered housing scheme in West Street.

But provider Circle Housing Russet say that existing residents will be able to move into new accommodation on the site.

Work is to be done in phases, so that residents can stay on the site while they are being built.

It is not yet known how many residents will choose to stay, or how many homes there will be.

War veteran Ruth North, who has lived at St George's Court for the last thirty years, took to Youtube earlier this year, in a bid to save her home.

In a video posted on Youtube the 97-year-old said: “I love it here, I have my friends here and it is my home. I fought during the war in the RAF and am proud of my country. I am too old to move out now.

"I have seen some things in my life but I never thought I would be forced out of my own home."

She also took her protest to the A20 roundabout nearby, where she hung a banner calling for her home to be protected.

Following the announcement this morning, her son Simon North said "The muse flats will remain as they are for at least two years.

"This means my mother can stay in her home. I consider this a victory for my mum and the residents. If we had not protested in such a vigorous manner the outcome would have been very different in my opinion."

Managing director of Circle Housing Russet, Roy Morgan, said: "Our board have reached a decision following a long deliberation which took into account every single piece of feedback we had received.

"It was found that this scheme does not meet local housing need or the standard that we would expect for our residents.

"We welcome the decision to give existing residents the choice to move into a new home on the site should they wish to. Our absolute priority will be to continue to support residents and their families during what is a very sensitive time.”

Circle Housing Russet officers are meeting with remaining residents today to discuss the decision, which followed a public consultation with residents, families, the parish council and local authority in January.

They said issues including the difficulty in letting units, the unsuitability of bed sit accommodation for modern living and the lack of disability adaptations made the scheme unviable in its current form.

Mr Morgan added: “We are looking forward to creating an excellent new scheme which will meet the needs of the whole community.”