{"id":514,"date":"2025-03-11T15:37:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T16:37:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/?p=514"},"modified":"2025-03-11T23:08:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T23:08:03","slug":"residents-petrified-after-being-told-50-year-old-tower-block-could-be-knocked-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/11\/residents-petrified-after-being-told-50-year-old-tower-block-could-be-knocked-down\/","title":{"rendered":"Residents \u2018petrified\u2019 after being told 50-year-old tower block could be knocked down"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"Dated:\t<\/div>
Some elderly residents in the block came out to share their frustration at the plans (Picture: North News & Pictures Ltd)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vulnerable retirees are \u2018crying their eyes out\u2019 and \u2018petrified\u2019 after being told their tower block faces demolition.<\/p>\n

Elderly residents of Durham Court in Hebburn, outside Newcastle<\/a>, were told last week by South Tyneside Council that the block will likely be knocked down.<\/p>\n

People living in the 107-flat court, which is dedicated to the over 55s, fear a \u2018nightmare\u2019 of moving out and finding somewhere new to live.<\/p>\n

Maxine Bell, 64, thought the block \u2018was going to be my forever home\u2019.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Dated:\t<\/div>
Maxine Bell now has to leave her \u2018forever home\u2019 (Picture: North News & Pictures Ltd)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Durham Court was built in 1974 with an intended 40-50 year lifespan which the council has said it is now approaching the end of.<\/p>\n

The retired care assistant told Metro<\/strong>: \u2018It is a massive blow. I cannot understand why they have done this.<\/p>\n

\u2018I cried with joy when I got offered this flat. It is beautiful and wide for wheelchairs.<\/p>\n

\u2018Now my anxiety is througth the roof. Where can we go? I am devastated.\u2019<\/p>\n

Last Monday she received the letter telling her the building was \u2018beyond its intended lifespan\u2019.<\/p>\n

The council continued: \u2018The building is compliant with all regulations, however following surveys, the structure of the building requires significant investment.<\/p>\n

\u2018As part of the study, various options have been considered, and the recommendation is to work with tenants to re-house into suitable alternative accommodation and demolish the block.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Dated:\t<\/div>
Residents Theresa Duffy , Pauline McIntyre, Pat Holdcroft , Maxine Bell and Anne Inglis are concerned about where they will live next (Picture: North News & Pictures Ltd)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Residents have been told they will receive a \u00a38,100 home loss payment and there is no timescale to leave the block.<\/p>\n

This has not eased concerns among some residents about the lack of availability of appropriate housing in the town.<\/p>\n

Maxine, who has spent her whole life in Hebburn, claimed: \u201899% of the people living in here are disabled. There is nowhere in Hebburn for them to go.<\/p>\n

\u2018I am petrified. Some people need carers and wheelchairs.<\/p>\n

\u2018There are not enough bungalows available. I am not moving out of Hebburn.\u2019<\/p>\n

Tenants were told in letters that officers from the council would help with placing bids on properties and help signing a tenancy agreement.<\/p>\n

They added that they would only arrange to tear down the block once everyone had been rehoused.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Dated:\t<\/div>
Durham Court was built just over 50 years ago and has extended its lifespan
(Picture: North News & Pictures Ltd)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These reassurances are not helping Maxine, who has lived with her husband Rob in Durham Court for five years.<\/p>\n

She added: \u2018It could be two to five years time. I am waiting on that knock on the door saying \u201cwe have come to talk to you about moving out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018There are not enough properties available. We are all going to be fighting for the same thing.\u2019<\/p>\n

Angie Comerford\u2019s mum Pauline, 69, is a resident of the block and currently having radiotherapy treatment for lung cancer.<\/p>\n

Angie, 49, told Metro<\/strong>: \u2018She is crying her eyes out. She is hitting rock bottom a little bit.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Dated:\t<\/div>
Angie is devastated for her mum, Pauline (Picture: North News & Pictures Ltd)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018She is halfway through her cancer treatment and now she has this hanging over their head.\u2019<\/p>\n

Pauline and Angie went to the first of three meetings scheduled between the councils and residents last Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Angie, who runs the local foodback opposite the block, said: \u2018The atmosphere was emotional. It was just awful.<\/p>\n

\u2018There was not a lot of reassurance. They were talking about the building in the past tense.<\/p>\n

\u2018I stood up at the end and said \u201cthese people are not just numbers, they are human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018They are a community, a lot of them have been in the block of flats for a long time. They cannot be brushed under the carpet.\u2019<\/p>\n

A final decision will only be made in May by the council\u2019s Cabinet, but residents are still worried about how to find a place to live.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Dated:\t<\/div>
Pauline has been living there for around 10 years, with Angie running the food bank opposite (Credits: North News & Pictures Ltd)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In their original letter, the council do \u2018kindly ask\u2019 residents to \u2018widen your areas of choice to increase the ability of meeting your housing needs.\u2019<\/p>\n

The 49-year-old, who also runs her own radio show, added: \u2018Many residents are not mobile enough to be put somewhere which has stairs. <\/p>\n

\u2018A lot of them will need wet rooms. There are not enough houses in the area.<\/p>\n

\u2018There was word at the meeting that they would be fully supported, but I cannot see how it would be possible to support the residents when there are not places in the area for them to go.\u2019<\/p>\n

South Tyneside Council has said they can organise and pay for residents removals and that they want to find properties to meet the needs of all residents.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for South Tyneside Council added: \u2018Our absolute priority is the residents of Durham Court. <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Dated:\t<\/div>
The final decision on demolishing the block will be made in May (Picture: North News & Pictures Ltd)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018We understand this may be an unsettling time for them and our housing officers are here to support them throughout the process.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Council has been looking at options for the future of Durham Court.<\/p>\n

\u2018As part of this, a detailed study has taken place to consider all available options, and the recommendation is to re-house all tenants into suitable alternative accommodation and demolish the block. <\/p>\n

\u2018This is because the building is unsustainable in the long term as it requires significant investment and modernisation.<\/p>\n

\u2018Tenants will be given priority for a new home and an assessment will be carried out to establish their individual needs, including any necessary adaptations to their new property.<\/p>\n

\u2018A final decision will be made by Cabinet in May. If Cabinet agree to the proposed demolition, no timescales have been set, and nothing will happen until all residents have been found a suitable alternative home.<\/p>\n

\u2018Residents will be kept fully informed throughout the process and have been provided with contact details for any concerns they may have.\u2019<\/p>\n

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

For more stories like this, <\/strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some elderly residents in the block came out to share their frustration at the plans (Picture: North News & Pictures Ltd) Vulnerable retirees are \u2018crying their eyes out\u2019 and \u2018petrified\u2019 after being told their tower block faces demolition. Elderly residents of Durham Court in Hebburn, outside Newcastle, were told last week by South Tyneside Council […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":523,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514\/revisions\/523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}