From Blight to Blot on the Landscape

Just when residents thought it was safe to go out mysterious activity is going on in Armstrong Street. After the courts forced Gateshead Council to end mass demolition, because they unlawfully gained planning permission without an environmental impact assessment, the area seems to have been hit by a major environmental problem.


A portacabin has suddenly appeared with fencing and a large pile of builders aggregate. The fencing only covers part of the area leaving a huge gap. No notices have been posted about why this construction material has apparently been dumped there and local residents have not been informed of any proposed construction work.

Our photographs, taken earlier today, show how close to a residential area this "builders yard" has been placed. The fencing gives the area the ambience of a world war two prison camp and residents are now wondering whether this is part of an illegal fly-tipping exercise by rogue builders.

For three years Gateshead Council have terrorised the area with their plans to demolish 440 homes causing the area to become blighted and better known for demolition than it's award winning park. Now there is a new blot on the landscape providing a unpleasant view to residents who want to keep their homes.

Cynics might say that this is just another attempt by the Gateshead Council to convince people to "voluntarily" sell their homes. At present all we can say for sure is that we now have a massive eyesore.

Residents are now awaiting the next horror to be (literally) dumped outside their back door!

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)

Building Communities

Yesterday around 30 delegates came together to improve their community under the guidance of the Federation for Community Development and Learning. Unlike Gateshead Council's bogus consultations this was a genuine effort from local people to decide how their community could be improved.

Gateshead Council have a track record of creating community organisations that they control. Most recently Planning Aid North were asked to run "community planning" exercises. Instead of being open events these were starting at the point of accepting the mass demolition policy of the local authority. Later on planners at the council implied that all attendees agreed with demolition. We understand now that 50 people, hand picked by Gateshead Council, will form the "community".

Our conference, in contrast, was developed with the help of the Federation for Community Development and Learning. Places were limited but the event was widely advertised in Saltwell and Bensham.

The Keynote address came from Professor David Byrne from the University of Durham. Professor Byrne is the Director of Postgraduate Studies at the School of Applied Social Sciences and a Fellow of Wolfson Research Institute. In addition David Byrne lives close to our community and represented it as councillor for a number of years in the 1980s. He also has a special interest in urban development.

Professor Byrne presented a short history of the area demonstrating that far from being a failing housing market the area had come about based on the idea of affordable homes for working people. He said the area had never been a slum or considered in need of general clearance.He widened his presentation to include the invention of the pathfinder idea and the current collapse in the housing market.

After a short break a presentation about how the law can help oppose demolition by Fatema Patwa. Fatema has recently represented two residents who successfully took legal action against Gateshead Council. The council was forced to admit acting unlawfully. Ms Patwa specialises in legal action against public authorities. After a question and answer session a number of residents had private discussions regarding their legal rights.

Susi Miller of FCDL introduced delegates to the idea of community development and some of their thoughts about what is good and bad about living in Saltwell and Bensham.

Sylvia Wilson, co-ordinator of Homes Under Threat (HUT), focussed on creating a community plan. Delegates were encouraged to come up with ideas about improving their community.

The conference broke up with an action plan for the future.


Links
Federation for Community Development and Learning
Sylvia Wilson (BBC News Item)

Sustainable Community Conference in Bensham

On Saturday 18th October 2008 there will be a conference in Saltwell and Besham entitled: Saving Not Breaking Communities.

The venue is Whitehall Road Methodist Church and it is from 10am to 4pm. 

Keynote speaker  David Byrne, is the Professor of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Durham. Professor Byrne has a special interest in urban development and environmental policy and has acted as consultant to Saltwell and Bensham Residents Association.

Campaigner Sylvia Wilson from Homes Under Threat (HUT) will lead discussion on community plans.

Throughout the conference solicitor Fatema Patwa will be on hand for enquiries. Fatema won a case against Gateshead Council representing local residents.

Places for the conference are limited but if you wish to attend booking is via The Federation for Community Development and Learning. Call Sue Leach on 0114 2536 770 or email her at admin@fcdl.org.uk for a booking form.

"Squatter" moves in to new family homes

Sunderland Road was an area of Victorian terraces. Gateshead Council deemed that it had been "abandoned" even though most of the homes were occupied. After 5 years of mass demolition the site has now been re-developed with family homes. It is now really abandoned with weeds growing around unsold houses.

However we are pleased to report some occupancy. A squatter has turned up in one of the houses. The squatter is a security guard apparently employed to look after the new empty properties that have replaced homes that people used to live in. The madness of Gateshead's demolition strategy can be seen up front. Demolition of houses people want to live in and the building of new family homes that few can afford to buy.

Since June 2008 the Government has given local authorities the power to buy empty homes for rent. In effect the re-invention of the council house. Perhaps Gateshead should consider buying up the empty homes on Sunderland Road to re-house the people that used to live in the houses they demolished on the same site!

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*Google definition of squatter
"someone who occupies an unoccupied or abandoned land that the individual does not own"