A city centre road could fully reopen by the summer after planners approved the demolition of a house in danger of collapsing.

Finkelgate, which connects Queens Road with Ber Street, was forced to shut on Christmas Eve 2010 after cracks appeared at a terraced property in the street.

There were fears the house, number 16, could collapse because of subsidence and scaffolding was later erected to stabilise it. This prevented traffic from accessing the road.

But Norwich City Council has now approved proposals to knock down the house, paving the way for work to fix the road to begin.

Canham Consulting, agent for the application, says it is hoping to start the demolition as soon as possible. A city council spokesman added: 'We are getting indications they want to do the work quickly in a couple of months and we think our bit will take a couple of months after that.'

The authority's work will include testing the road to make sure it is safe. The project is expected to take approximately four months to complete.

Kate Knights, the city council's case officer for the planning application, said the area of Finkelgate which had sunk was perhaps 30 metres deep, with water from a burst water main only making the situation worse. She said: 'Given that the building is one of a terrace, it is not considered that the loss of the building will significantly affect the overall appearance of the conservation area, although it is recognised that there will be a larger gap within the street frontage which is regrettable.'

The road partially opened last December with traffic able to enter from Ber Street and leave at Queens Road. No-entry signs remain to stop vehicles entering Finkelgate from Queens Road.

Do you have a planning story? Call Richard Wheeler on 01603 772474.