Great Yarmouth council is to go ahead with a scheme to buy up dilapidated flats and bed sits and renovate them for sale or rent.

A report on the £2m scheme says it will be cost-neutral over 30 years and will improve the town centre environment.

It says the housing market in parts of the town has 'challenges including low property values, low rental income, economically unviable guesthouses, streets in conservation areas needing uplift and lack of private investment.'

This has led to attractive streets being converted into houses of multiple occupation as their most or only profitable use, which are often not well maintained and 'can bring an otherwise attractive area down.'

Purchases will be on case by case, and once renovated they will be offered for sale, as affordable rented homes or at full market rents.

The project is being supported by the Labour opposition as well as the Conservative controlling group on the council.

Council leader Graham Plant said: 'We do know there are problems with some accommodation in town and hopefully this policy will help clean it up.

'There are certain minimum standards for accommodation and if they are not being met then we have a fund to be able to turn that around.'