A DAY care centre for people with disabilities is to be demolished so the land can be sold.

The closure of Bestwood Day Centre has been planned since May 2010 due to the poor condition of the building.

Around 70 people use the service and they will have to travel to new facilities in Aspley.

Once the building in Bestwood Road is vacant it will be demolished at a cost of £137,500 and the land put up for sale.

Bestwood councillor Brian Grocock said demolishing the building would prevent the antisocial behaviour seen at other closed council buildings in his ward, like the former Hazel Hill residential home in Beckhampton Road.

"The difficulty the council has with its decommissioned buildings is they attract vandals," he said.

"As a consequence it costs money to keep security on the site, making it more cost effective to demolish the building

"In the future I would hope a developer looks at the site for housing, in particular housing for elderly people.

"It's in a quiet area, off a major road and close to Bestwood and Bulwell, so it would lend itself well to that purpose."

Before the land is put up for sale Nottingham City Council will apply for planning permission to ensure future developments can go ahead.

Until the land is sold the council will maintain it.

Bestwood Day Centre provides up to 125 places a day for people with a range of needs including profound and multiple learning disabilities, autism and other challenging behaviour and moderate to severe learning difficulties.

Nottingham City Council will close the centre in February as part of its reorganisation of day care services.

The council said significant investment would be required to bring the Bestwood Day Centre building up to standard.

Its users will be transferred this month to the former Aspley Wood School, where £750,000 has been spent to turn it into a day care facility.