Challenging Gateshead Council

Citizens should be able to depend on their local councillors to fight on their behalf when officials come up with schemes that blight ordinary homes of ordinary people. People should feel safe behind their own front door.

Political parties like Labour and the Liberal Democrats claim to represent those who have difficulty representing themselves. In particular the hard working members of the community who have spent a lifetime buying their own home from relatively modest salaries. In Gateshead the Labour Party have been in power for so long they work hand in glove with council officials and never ask the crucial questions they need to in order to represent ordinary people. Unfortunately for ordinary families there are no councillors willing to ask the key questions.

SAVE Britain's Heritage, a national charity, have been supporting ordinary people. Along with residents they have lobbied for renovation and not demolition. In a letter to Gateshead Council they describe Saltwell and Bensham as;

"a carefully planned, cohesive, 19th-century residential development, served by good local shops and amenities. Demolition would not only represent a waste of good housing stock, but also a lost opportunity for the kind of small-scale, ground-level, ‘soft’ regeneration that is needed and is viable in this area "

Saltwell and Bensham Residents Association agree. We have been campaigning against mass demolition for 5 years. 

This week Gateshead Council are attempting, for the fourth time, to get planning permission for the demolition of 154 homes as the first group of 440 planned demolitions. They have no plans to build any replacements and openly admit that the space will be "grassed over" rather than provide any new houses for sale or rent. SAVE believe that this fourth attempt, like the three before it, is unlawful. 

The sadness of the situation is that SAVE are challenging the destruction of historic and viable homes in place of the political process. It is sad to see that councillors, elected by thre people, are defenders of wanton destruction and sit on the side of well paid bureaucrats and millionaire developers. Is it no-wonder people lose faith in the political process.

In the place of politicians properly scrutinising these crazy demolition SAVE have stepped in and are prepared to fight the council in court. 

SAVE Britain's Heritage is well named because they understand that although castles and cathedrals are part of Britain's Heritage so are well built Victorian and Edwardian homes in the centre of Gateshead. There is a lack of affordable housing for ordinary people in Gateshead and demolishing 440 decent homes wont help. Unfortunately Gateshead Council's priority is to create partnerships and profit with the private sector and not help local people have decent homes.