One of the most interesting things about the demolition programme imposed on Saltwell and Bensham by the planners of Gateshead Council is the propaganda battle to win hearts and minds.
Over the last 7 years newsletters have popped through letterboxes proclaiming success when there is quite a lot of failure. Originally this was all branded BNG (BridgingNewcastleGateshead) to celebrate the undemocratic quango that was funding government cash into the area to demolish homes. They tried to make us love an unaccountable bureaucracy that was largely dominated by millionaire developers and representatives of the building industry.
So how do you make people fuzzy and warm over demolishing their home and how do you get them accepting of the new One Core Strategy, published last year, which requires 4000 more demolitions. Easy - just don't mention the 'd' word!
So the "Live Gateshead - Love Gateshead" newsletter celebrates renovation, rebuilding parks and nothing about demolition. Instead wonderful warm words about future new building plans.
Meanwhile in the real world the economy is going down and there is no prospect of people having a deposit to buy any potential new build. The newsletter is a celebration of fantasy rather than real information for residents.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
One Core Strategy
The One Core Strategy consultation ended on 4th January 2012. Although supported by Gateshead's Labour Council it was essentially the strategy of the former Liberal Democrats in Newcastle. The Newcastle City Council approved the consultation before the last local elections and left the incoming Labour administration with a half-baked proposal heavy on private sector development models and with virtually no value to the communities on either side of the Tyne.
Depending on the private sector means that the strategy is already in trouble if the aim is to meet housing need. The only builders reporting good results are those building executive property, buy to let, and larger houses. This is because the first time buyer cannot find the finance and can be usually be found sleeping on the couch at a friend's house. The politically unpalatable story for parties committed to deal with housing need is that the private sector is not interested. Building for profit means leaving the low paid, and the even the average earner, dependent on social housing or private landlords. The One Core Strategy offers demolition in Bensham only as an attraction to private developers and thus providing profit rather than dealing with acute housing need.
Depending on the private sector means that the strategy is already in trouble if the aim is to meet housing need. The only builders reporting good results are those building executive property, buy to let, and larger houses. This is because the first time buyer cannot find the finance and can be usually be found sleeping on the couch at a friend's house. The politically unpalatable story for parties committed to deal with housing need is that the private sector is not interested. Building for profit means leaving the low paid, and the even the average earner, dependent on social housing or private landlords. The One Core Strategy offers demolition in Bensham only as an attraction to private developers and thus providing profit rather than dealing with acute housing need.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Clarke Criticises A Country Of Empty Houses
This week George Clarke, architect, designer and tv presenter is fronting a series of programmes to highlight the scandal of empty property throughout.
In an interview Clarke explains that the inspiration for the series came from right here in Saltwell and Bensham. Seeing homes boarded up by Gateshead Council inspired him to highlight the housing crisis. He cites the Pathfinder programme as a national disaster.
He has sharp words for the current government too.
Channel 4 makes the case for refurbishment and renovation over a number of programmes from reporters across the channel.
Links
Clarke Interview
The Great British Property Scandal
In an interview Clarke explains that the inspiration for the series came from right here in Saltwell and Bensham. Seeing homes boarded up by Gateshead Council inspired him to highlight the housing crisis. He cites the Pathfinder programme as a national disaster.
He has sharp words for the current government too.
Channel 4 makes the case for refurbishment and renovation over a number of programmes from reporters across the channel.
Links
Clarke Interview
The Great British Property Scandal
Sunday, November 27, 2011
New Angle On Demolition
This year Gateshead published its One Core Strategy as an Action Plan for consultation. Pretty dry stuff. When we say that Gateshead published the plan what we mean is that it was published under the name NewcastleGateshead. NewcastleGateshead is a sort of virtual place in both council's minds consisting of two real places Newcastle and Gateshead.
First off this plan is nothing new. These things come out annually and they all say self-serving things like the entire social housing plan for the north should be built in this or that place. In the past these plans ended up at Government Office North East where bleary eyed civil servants would read through each local authority plan and realise every local authority wanted more money, more housing, more transport etc etc. They would point out to the planners that whatever they had written wasn't going to happen unless they co-operated with other authorities.
Unfortunately, from the point of view of co-ordination and commonsense, GONE (Government Office North East) has gone with the cutbacks.
Since the late 1990s the politicians and planners have invented a new city called NewcastleGateshead. it suits both sides of the river. Newcastle is a city with a premiership football club and Gateshead is now a premier arts and culture venue at the Sage and Baltic. By creating a joint bid as NewcastleGateshead the planners on both sides of the Tyne can develop a vision of the future. The major downside is that the areas are different and actually require totally different strategies.
In the huge documentation accompanying the bid one thing stands out. Only Saltwell and Bensham is specifically mentioned as an area of housing development. The planners are trying to fund demolition through yet another government money grab. Most Gateshead citizens would expect the planners to be concentrating on the town centre, the name "core" and "urban" implies this. However this is not so. The dreams of the private sector building executive houses and getting rid of the working class from central Gateshead isn't too far away.
Link
Gateshead Core Strategy Consultation
First off this plan is nothing new. These things come out annually and they all say self-serving things like the entire social housing plan for the north should be built in this or that place. In the past these plans ended up at Government Office North East where bleary eyed civil servants would read through each local authority plan and realise every local authority wanted more money, more housing, more transport etc etc. They would point out to the planners that whatever they had written wasn't going to happen unless they co-operated with other authorities.
Unfortunately, from the point of view of co-ordination and commonsense, GONE (Government Office North East) has gone with the cutbacks.
Since the late 1990s the politicians and planners have invented a new city called NewcastleGateshead. it suits both sides of the river. Newcastle is a city with a premiership football club and Gateshead is now a premier arts and culture venue at the Sage and Baltic. By creating a joint bid as NewcastleGateshead the planners on both sides of the Tyne can develop a vision of the future. The major downside is that the areas are different and actually require totally different strategies.
In the huge documentation accompanying the bid one thing stands out. Only Saltwell and Bensham is specifically mentioned as an area of housing development. The planners are trying to fund demolition through yet another government money grab. Most Gateshead citizens would expect the planners to be concentrating on the town centre, the name "core" and "urban" implies this. However this is not so. The dreams of the private sector building executive houses and getting rid of the working class from central Gateshead isn't too far away.
Link
Gateshead Core Strategy Consultation
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Historic Consultation
After years of fighting council demolition plans a new consultation for the area was announced by Gateshead Council. The Council have bid for a Townscape Heritage Initiative grant. Around £2 million is to be spent on grants and improvements in Coatsworth Road at the centre of our former pathfinder housing market renewal area.
To quote Gateshead Council; "over £1.9 million to spend on repairing and restoring historic buildings"
At the consultation attended by Saltwell and Bensham Residents Association a new group of youthful fresh faced planners enthusiastically presented coloured diagrams of an extension to the conservation area. We were also informed that a THI grant was only available to "historic" buildings of architectural interest. The previous generation of enthusiastic supporters of demolition had disappeared as quickly as the Government funding. Instead a mixture of planners and conservationists were surveying our opinion.
At this point our attentive readers might be having a flashback to 2005 when Council consultants GVA Grimley pronounced Coatsworth Road dead during the pathfinder consultation. After a "drive by survey" of Coatsworth Road in 2005 they told residents that there were "too many shops" in the street and only clearance followed by the creation of a "boulevard" to "open up the area" with "family homes" would revitalise this part of Gateshead. Their drive by survey included the statement that half the shops were closed on a Saturday morning. (Most residents thought this was humour from the consultants but it was simply that they were ignorant of the fact that those shops had Jewish owners and Saturday is a day of worship).
In 2008 Gateshead Council supported mass demolition in a letter to Government Office North East by saying there was nothing of historic interest in the area.
You could feel that moving from demolition in 2005 to conservation in 2011 is a massive u-turn among Gateshead's planners. Not at all. This is normal practice for this "grant aware" northern council. Back in 2005 pathfinder money was conditional on finding some brownfield demolition so the Council worked really hard to create some blight. You might call their policy constructive creation of conditions that met pathfinder funding. Today the reverse is necessary and they have to find some historic buildings. Overnight an area marked for clearance to qualify for one funding stream becomes "historic heritage" to qualify for another.
If nothing else you have to admire the ability of Gateshead to follow the money.
To quote Gateshead Council; "over £1.9 million to spend on repairing and restoring historic buildings"
At the consultation attended by Saltwell and Bensham Residents Association a new group of youthful fresh faced planners enthusiastically presented coloured diagrams of an extension to the conservation area. We were also informed that a THI grant was only available to "historic" buildings of architectural interest. The previous generation of enthusiastic supporters of demolition had disappeared as quickly as the Government funding. Instead a mixture of planners and conservationists were surveying our opinion.
At this point our attentive readers might be having a flashback to 2005 when Council consultants GVA Grimley pronounced Coatsworth Road dead during the pathfinder consultation. After a "drive by survey" of Coatsworth Road in 2005 they told residents that there were "too many shops" in the street and only clearance followed by the creation of a "boulevard" to "open up the area" with "family homes" would revitalise this part of Gateshead. Their drive by survey included the statement that half the shops were closed on a Saturday morning. (Most residents thought this was humour from the consultants but it was simply that they were ignorant of the fact that those shops had Jewish owners and Saturday is a day of worship).
In 2008 Gateshead Council supported mass demolition in a letter to Government Office North East by saying there was nothing of historic interest in the area.
You could feel that moving from demolition in 2005 to conservation in 2011 is a massive u-turn among Gateshead's planners. Not at all. This is normal practice for this "grant aware" northern council. Back in 2005 pathfinder money was conditional on finding some brownfield demolition so the Council worked really hard to create some blight. You might call their policy constructive creation of conditions that met pathfinder funding. Today the reverse is necessary and they have to find some historic buildings. Overnight an area marked for clearance to qualify for one funding stream becomes "historic heritage" to qualify for another.
If nothing else you have to admire the ability of Gateshead to follow the money.
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