The demolition of the historic but decaying Victoria Row, said to lack the necessary investors to save the buildings, has drawn a comeback from Habitat for Humanity Bermuda.

The West End Development Corporation, which owns the 19th-century buildings, announced on Wednesday that it had “reluctantly” started knocking them down.

Wedco said that Habitat for Humanity had been approached, along with the Naval Dockyards Society in Britain, in the hope of preserving them.

The homes, first built for Dockyard workers, were abandoned in 2014 and have sustained hurricane damage since.

However, both of the groups cited in Wedco’s statement responded yesterday, with Habitat for Humanity saying Wedco had been approached in 2006 with an offer to refurbish all units.

According to Sheelagh Cooper, of the Coalition for the Protection of Children, which runs the local branch of the charity, the group would have used volunteers with contributions from local industry to complete the job “at a very reasonable cost”.

After “almost a year” of discussion, Wedco balked at Habitat’s proviso that the existing tenants would get priority at the conclusion of the job, and that the rents would not increase.

“This is a standard clause within any project undertaken by Habitat where a rental property is involved,” Ms Cooper said.

“Our objective is to strengthen the available affordable housing market and without this clause any landlord could benefit from our charitable work by raising the rent and thereby taking another affordable property off the market.”

She said the requirement proved to be a deal-breaker for Wedco.

As the properties continued to deteriorate, Wedco was approached again in 2008.

Ms Cooper said Habitat was told a strategic plan was in the works, and that “if the Habitat offer fit into that plan they would be in touch”.

“That was the last correspondence on record from Wedco,” she said.

“I am sure that the statement that was issued was an honest mistake as this all took place ten years ago, and most likely there has been quite a shift in personnel at Wedco since then. It is just regrettable that it has come to this.”

Ann Coats, the chairwoman of the Naval Dockyards Society, said the group had argued in 2014 and 2016 that the homes, along with Albert Row, should be protected with a building trust, “transferring the freehold to new owners who could obtain a government loan to make renovations or restorations”.

The NDS has said Wedco bears responsibility for maintaining the estates using rental fees, arguing that their renovation would create jobs and train young people in skills such as applying lime mortar that could be used to protect other historical assets.

Ms Coats said Wedco had relegated the houses to “long-term neglect and demolition” over “planned budgeting, a professional survey and a sustainable solution”. However, Wedco has repeatedly stated that the derelict buildings could not be saved without a realistic plan for investing in their protection.

Last year, Ray Charlton, chairman of Wedco, told this newspaper that with no business plan or developer, demolition might stand as the only option — rather than leaving an eyesore by the roadside.

“To leave it there as a derelict — I’m not sure that’s the image we would like to be portraying for the America’s Cup,” he said.

In November 2015, the Bermuda National Trust told The Royal Gazette that preserving Victoria Row was beyond its budget, and that it could only be achieved by attracting an entrepreneur to take on the job.