154 Homes Saved!

After 3 years battling demolition in Gateshead we are pleased to say that 154 homes have been saved from the bulldozer!

This week legal representatives of Gateshead Council were forced to admit they acted unlawfully when the Council demolished almost three quarters of Armstrong Street. Rather than face the humiliation of full court hearing Gateshead Council caved in when SAVE Britain's Heritage took them to court.

In giving themselves planning permission Gateshead Council had "forgotten" to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment - required by law. Campaigners in Saltwell and Bensham had norticed this and rather helpfully sent a 5 page letter to planners explaining the flaws in their demolition strategy. The letter was ignored. During the planning committee hearings residents did try to raise this matter again but were rudely told to "sit down and shut up" by the Labour chairman.

SAVE were shocked at the treatment of local residents and took on the issue. They wrote to local MP David Clelland expressing their concern. However Clelland dismissed the residents campaign and brushed aside any notion that Gateshead Council might be in the wrong.

As Gateshead Council had no interest in talking to residents and less interest in talking to a national charity committed to Britain's heritage. Going to the courts was the only option. Even then, in a letter before action, Gateshead Council still preferred to threaten hitting campaigners with huge costs and preferred spending council tax money on lawyers rather than do what was right and lawful.

Campaigners suspect that Gateshead Council tried to use planning rules to get around the problem of using a Compulsory Purchase Order and the consequent enquiry. No Compulsory Purchase Orders have been used in pathfinder areas since councils in Lancashire lost to campaigners there. In effect planning is being used as a backdoor method of avoiding the provisions of the Housing Act.

There is little prospect of any developer purchasing the land Gateshead wants to demolish and no one is buying new properties in other areas that have suffered mass demolition.

Local residents have thanked SAVE for their intervention. However the demolition team at Gateshead Council have not been disbanded. Twice this year they have acted unlawfully. Any sensible person would have thought being taken to court once would have opened dialogue with local people. They should be spending money on renovation and bringing boarded up properties back into use. Instead we expect them to carry on with demolition as soon as they can.

This whole demolition saga illustrates how a promise of vast amounts of Government cash causes councils to run roughshod over local people.


Links
Save Britain's Heritage
Press Release (PDF)