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BBC News
09-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Hebburn's Durham Court demolition decision to be reviewed by council
A decision to demolish an 18-storey tower block and rehouse its elderly residents is to be reconsidered. South Tyneside Council's Labour cabinet had unanimously voted to pull down Durham Court, in Hebburn, which was built in 1974. However, the local authority's scrutiny committee has decided to reconsider the move, after an outcry from residents, and voted in favour of the issue going back to the cabinet for further discussions. Resident Colin Rosner, who attended the meeting, said he hoped to live in the tower for the rest of his life. The block, which is the last remaining residential high-rise building in the town, was deemed to have outlived its "original intended lifespan" of 50 years and carrying out repairs, costing an estimated £12m, were not worth it. The request for a call-in of the demolition decision was recently signed by opposing councillors from across the political board, including South Tyneside Alliance Group (STAG) representatives, independents and one Green Group councillor. STAG's Andrew Guy previously said the demolition would be an "appalling mistake"."This is about proper accountability," he said."Decisions of this scale shouldn't be signed off without full and open consideration of the long-term impact on residents, services and public investment."It was previously revealed that if the demolition went ahead, residents would face the upheaval of being rehoused over a possible five-year period. However, the council promised tenants it would find new homes for them in after the meeting, Labour chair of the scrutiny committee, John Gerard McCabe, said: "The cabinet can look at that decision again, review it and come up with hopefully a good solution." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
04-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Hebburn's Durham Court demolition decision to be re-examined
A decision to demolish an 18-storey tower block and rehouse its elderly residents is to be re-examined next Tyneside Council's Labour cabinet recently unanimously agreed plans for the future of Durham Court, the last remaining residential high-rise building in block, built in 1974, was deemed to have outlived its "original intended lifespan" of 50 years and that carrying out repairs costing an estimated £12m were not worth it. But the decision to tear it down will now go before a council scrutiny committee on 9 June after concerns were raised. This means a public meeting of the panel will be held to decide whether the move should be referred back to the cabinet for request for the call-in was recently signed by opposing councillors from across the political board, including South Tyneside Alliance Group (STAG) representatives, independents and one Green Group councillor. STAG's Andrew Guy said the demolition would be an "appalling mistake". "This is about proper accountability," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. "Decisions of this scale shouldn't be signed off without full and open consideration of the long-term impact on residents, services and public investment."It was previously revealed that if the demolition goes ahead residents would face the upheaval of being rehoused over a possible five-year period. However, the Labour-led local authority has promised tenants it will find new homes for them in in May, council leader Tracey Dixon said: "We will ensure right from the very beginning that the tenants will be given the homes of their choice."It's all about giving them priority."We know Durham Court is their family home, so we're here to support them and make sure they lead healthy and happy lives." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
30-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Durham Court demolition branded 'appalling mistake'
Concerns have been raised over plans to demolish a tower block and rehouse its elderly Tyneside Council's Labour cabinet recently unanimously agreed plans to rehouse the residents of Durham Court in Hebburn and to demolish the 18-storey block dates back to 1974 and currently has 96 people living there, the majority aged over councillors from the South Tyneside Alliance Group have criticised the move, describing it as "a staggering waste of public money". Councillor Andrew Guy, a representative for the opposition group, called the move an "appalling mistake", and also raised concerns about the tower being a "substantial customer" for the Hebburn Energy heating facility cost the council £11.9m, of which £4.8m came from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), according to the Local Democracy Reporting added: "This 18-storey tower block will be flattened, in the process wiping out the main reason the £11.9m Hebburn Energy Centre was built." The opposition group and independent councillors said they requested the decision to be "called in" and referred to a scrutiny council chiefs said they had not "received a valid request for call-in" – a ruling which Guy said the group would be "formally challenging".The local authority added a valid call-in request must come no later than 12:00 on the fifth working day after publication of the minutes – which in this case falls on 2 Carter, deputy council leader, previously said it was "by no means a conclusion we have reached lightly" to demolish Durham highlighted how the building would require £12m of investment to modernise and keep at a decent standard – which would have meant "significant disruption to the tenants without any guarantees about the long-term sustainability of the block".In response to concerns around the Hebburn Energy Centre, a council spokesperson said a new children's home would be connected to the renewable energy network, which would "mitigate a proportion of the lost carbon savings".The local authority added rehousing residents and the demolition process was likely to take about three to four years to complete. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
