'No timetable' yet for tower block demolition

Council chiefs have said there is "no timetable for demolition" for a high-rise block of flats until its residents have been rehomed.

South Tyneside Council said Hebburn's Durham Court, which was built in 1974 and is the town's last remaining residential high-rise building, would not be knocked down until all 96 residents found a suitable alternative home.

The council agreed to demolish the 18-storey tower block, which houses people aged 55 and over, in June which was recommended as the "most economically advantageous option".

Councillor Steve Smith, Reform UK cabinet member for housing, said "good progress" had been made "with the majority now rehoused and settling into their new homes".

The demolition option was agreed by the council's then Labour administration, after it was deemed to have outlived its "original intended lifespan" of 50 years.

"Our focus remains firmly on supporting those households which are still living at Durham Court to find suitable alternative accommodation," Smith said.

He said some people had requested a move to the council's new extra care facility Griffin Court when it opens in the new year.

"There is currently no timetable for demolition and work will not begin while residents remain in the building."

Smith said there was a number of steps that would need to be taken, including the submission of a planning application in due course.

The council previously said rehousing residents and the demolition process was likely to take about three to four years to complete and added the cleared site would offer opportunities for future regeneration in Hebburn town centre.

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