The house journal of BridgingNewcastleGateshead reveals that between 1981 and 2001 some 20,000 people left the area. When put in the context of BNG’s ongoing campaign to rid us of “abandoned” houses this sounds an incredible statistic.
However their implied context is wrong and misleading. Firstly because the statistic includes an area of Newcastle which was subject to the misguided “Going for Growth” programme of the late 1990s that laid waste to the west end of Newcastle. But more importantly you have to ask why go back to 1981!
Could it be that the mass unemployment of three recessions in the 1980s led many families to travel south for work. The drama Auf Wiedersehen Pet in the 1980s highlighted Geordie bricklayers heading for Germany to gain employment. Today enterprising northerners are offering Germans a job in the north east construction industry.
In Saltwell and Bensham the empty home rate is said to be 9% by Gateshead Council. This is a crude statistic based on Council Tax records but is barely above the national average. Crucially Saltwell and Bensham has a Jewish College that attracts students from throughout the world who stay in the area for short periods leading to a large turnover of people. In addition many houses are left empty as private small developers buy property specifically to make money on investments. Over the last 3 years prices have tripled and more people are moving into the area. Unfortunately due to BNG’s artificial cut off date of 2001 these are not factored into the equation.
In other words the market is succeeding without any help from BNG.
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