Vulnerable retirees are ‘crying their eyes out’ and ‘petrified’ 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 that the block will likely be knocked down.
People living in the 107-flat court, which is dedicated to the over 55s, fear a ‘nightmare’ of moving out and finding somewhere new to live.
Maxine Bell, 64, thought the block ‘was going to be my forever home’.
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.
The retired care assistant told Metro: ‘It is a massive blow. I cannot understand why they have done this.
‘I cried with joy when I got offered this flat. It is beautiful and wide for wheelchairs.
‘Now my anxiety is througth the roof. Where can we go? I am devastated.’
Last Monday she received the letter telling her the building was ‘beyond its intended lifespan’.
The council continued: ‘The building is compliant with all regulations, however following surveys, the structure of the building requires significant investment.
‘As 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.’
Residents have been told they will receive a £8,100 home loss payment and there is no timescale to leave the block.
This has not eased concerns among some residents about the lack of availability of appropriate housing in the town.
Maxine, who has spent her whole life in Hebburn, claimed: ‘99% of the people living in here are disabled. There is nowhere in Hebburn for them to go.
‘I am petrified. Some people need carers and wheelchairs.
‘There are not enough bungalows available. I am not moving out of Hebburn.’
Tenants were told in letters that officers from the council would help with placing bids on properties and help signing a tenancy agreement.
They added that they would only arrange to tear down the block once everyone had been rehoused.
(Picture: North News & Pictures Ltd)
These reassurances are not helping Maxine, who has lived with her husband Rob in Durham Court for five years.
She added: ‘It could be two to five years time. I am waiting on that knock on the door saying “we have come to talk to you about moving out.”
‘There are not enough properties available. We are all going to be fighting for the same thing.’
Angie Comerford’s mum Pauline, 69, is a resident of the block and currently having radiotherapy treatment for lung cancer.
Angie, 49, told Metro: ‘She is crying her eyes out. She is hitting rock bottom a little bit.’
‘She is halfway through her cancer treatment and now she has this hanging over their head.’
Pauline and Angie went to the first of three meetings scheduled between the councils and residents last Wednesday.
Angie, who runs the local foodback opposite the block, said: ‘The atmosphere was emotional. It was just awful.
‘There was not a lot of reassurance. They were talking about the building in the past tense.
‘I stood up at the end and said “these people are not just numbers, they are human beings.”
‘They 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.’
A final decision will only be made in May by the council’s Cabinet, but residents are still worried about how to find a place to live.
In their original letter, the council do ‘kindly ask’ residents to ‘widen your areas of choice to increase the ability of meeting your housing needs.’
The 49-year-old, who also runs her own radio show, added: ‘Many residents are not mobile enough to be put somewhere which has stairs.
‘A lot of them will need wet rooms. There are not enough houses in the area.
‘There 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.’
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.
A spokesperson for South Tyneside Council added: ‘Our absolute priority is the residents of Durham Court.
‘We understand this may be an unsettling time for them and our housing officers are here to support them throughout the process.
‘The Council has been looking at options for the future of Durham Court.
‘As 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.
‘This is because the building is unsustainable in the long term as it requires significant investment and modernisation.
‘Tenants 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.
‘A 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.
‘Residents will be kept fully informed throughout the process and have been provided with contact details for any concerns they may have.’
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