A former care home which has lay empty for ten years is finally set to be demolished.
The old Ty-Darran care home on Cromwell Road in Risca has been empty since closing in 2010 but is now set to be demolished later this year.
A site notice dated December 15 gives notice for the demolition of the two-storey building, which closed amid some local opposition at the time.
Caerphilly County Borough Council, which owns the site, is carrying out a feasibility study which will determine the future use of the site, and the building is expected to be demolished later this year.
More than 14,000 residents signed a petition to save the care home when plans to close it were first revealed in 2010.
At the time, the council said parts of the care home were not fit for purpose and that the costs of redevelopment would be prohibitively high.
The decision prompted anger from some staff, residents and families, who protested in Risca as well as outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay.
Independent Cllr Bob Owen said many people within the Risca community were now hoping to see the site used for sheltered housing.
"The building has been there for ten years, it's quite an old style in terms of layout, and it is lost to us as a care home, whatever the case" he said.
"People in Risca were dissatisfied at the time - it was council-owned and often held events and things during the summer, so it contributed to community life. It was very much the jewel in our crown, I always thought, in terms of the future of people in the community."
Cllr Owen added that plans to develop the site had been slow in part due to the flood risk from the nearby River Ebbw, until work was carried out to mitigate against that a few years ago.
"Ideally we would like to see it used for sheltered housing, something for people over 50, couples who are looking to down-size perhaps.
"That way it would still be fulfilling a social function and serving the community, and it would also open up other existing housing stock for younger generations in the area."
A spokesperson for Caerphilly county Borough Council said: "We can confirm that Caerphilly County Borough Council owns the site.
"We are currently undertaking a feasibility study, which will help us better understand the potential for development.
"It is anticipated that the demolition will take place this autumn."
