The end for The Block

Eviction notices were sent to the remaining 75 residents of the drug-plagued precinct on Wednesday, bringing to an end a 37-year experiment in urban land rights begun by the Whitlam government.

The tenants have been given 60 days to find alternative housing before the bulldozers move in on The Block in January.

Construction of a new-look housing development, the Pemulwuy Project, will begin in April.

Its 62 homes are slated for completion in 2013 in time for the 40th anniversary of the Aboriginal Housing Company, which owns and manages the area.

AHC chief executive Mick Mundine warned that no one with a violent or drug-related history will be allowed back in the community houses once redevelopment of the area is finished.

"It will be based on their tenant history: if they're known for selling drugs, they'll never be allowed back," Mr Mundine told The Sunday Telegraph on Friday.

The eviction notices were sent following a September 8 meeting between Mr Mundine, senior Redfern police and residents.

After the 60-day notice period expires, The Block's remaining buildings will be bricked and boarded, including the Mundine family's iconic gymnasium on Eveleigh St.

"Once they're bricked, they're bricked for good - there will be no going back," Mr Mundine said.

"We need to clean out the crime - we want the evil spirit out of this community."

Only 15 habitable properties remain on the four streets that comprise "The Block" - four are on Louis St, three on Caroline St, six on Vine St and two on Eveleigh St.

No forcible evictions have ever been made, although about 110 residents have voluntarily relocated since 1997. Some long-term tenants have vowed to contest the evictions, but Mr Mundine said the only people upset by the plans were those known to cause trouble.

"Whether they like it or not, this (development) is going to happen," he said. "A lot of people will complain. They've been here a long time but it's time for a change.

"Some are drug sellers and they cause problems, but our first priority is to relocate them."

The area has traditionally been a no-go zone for the broader community. At one point, it was so violent that police voiced their own concerns about patrolling the area.

During the '90s, heroin sales flourished in The Block, giving it a vicious reputation for drugs and violence that it struggled to shed.

Just a fortnight ago, undercover police swooped on an all-female gang of alleged heroin dealers, though many of those arrested were not actually from the area.

In 2004, racial tensions flared when 17-year-old Thomas "TJ" Hickey was accidentally impaled on a fence after trying to flee police. Riots left 40 police officers injured.

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said a similar scheme in Dubbo, involving relocation and redevelopment, had been successful

"They relocated the tenants there and I think they redeveloped that area. It was a great success from what I understand," Mr Scipione told The Sunday Telegraph.

Concept plans for the Pemulwuy Project have been approved and backed by the State Government.

Photo: Time called ... Mick Mundine pictured at the famous Redfern Block whichwill soon be developed for more than 60 houses. Picture: Sam Ruttyn Source: The Sunday Telegraph

Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/the-end-for-the-block/story-e6freuy9-1225926016059