Residential tower blocks in Gateshead to be decommissioned

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17 July 2024

Gateshead Council has confirmed three tower blocks in Gateshead town centre will be decommissioned after it was agreed the costs of repairs and investment would not be value for money.

A report on the future of East Street Flats was discussed at the council's Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 16 July, where it was recommended that 100 new council homes are built in the town centre to replace the decommissioned buildings.

It is recognised that there is a tight-knit community within Park, Peareth and Priory. The council wants to do all it can to keep that community together, so affected tenants will be given priority to this new housing, with the decommissioning of the flats to proceed once residents have been successfully rehoused.

The report explained that the blocks required almost £27m of investment over the next 30 years. This works out at around £223,280 per flat, a level of investment that it was agreed is not viable.

Councillors were asked to decide whether to retain and renovate the buildings, or to decommission and demolish them, with the latter recommendation agreed.

The blocks, which have 120 flats in them, will be maintained in a safe and effective way while the options for new housing are developed.

The council will now work with residents to ensure the strong community bonds formed over many years remain, and that all affected residents are involved in what happens next.

Cabinet yesterday pledged to setup a resident engagement process to make sure the community within East Street Flats are key stakeholders in the project and are involved in shaping the new housing offer. Regular reports will also come back to Cabinet on the development, to provide assurance that progress is being made and residents are being involved and kept informed.

The Leader of the Gateshead Council, Councillor Martin Gannon, said:

"I welcome this report and am glad to see our residents' views and considerations will be a key part of what we do next. We must ensure they are kept informed and updated every step of the way, with their views influencing our next steps here.

"It is never an easy decision in agreeing to demolish people's homes, but these flats are at the end of their life. We would be doing our residents and taxpayers a disservice if we were to continue repairing these buildings when we know they are beyond repairing."

Cllr Chris Buckley, the new Cabinet Member for Housing, added:

"We strive to provide as much quality affordable housing as we can with the resources we have. "Ultimately, an ongoing and expensive programme of repair for an old building is not the best approach for residents or the council. I want to reassure residents there will be on-going repairs in the interim, to ensure their safety.

"We are l committed to providing a better standard of housing to our tenants. I will make sure this is happening by seeking regular reports back to Cabinet on the progress of replacement housing and resident satisfaction with how we are managing this scheme and working with them."

Ahead of these plans going to Cabinet, residents were invited to local engagement sessions put on by officers. Further drop-in sessions have been arranged for the residents of the flats, most of whom are council tenants.

The Cabinet report can be found here.