Tower block demolition to be reconsidered
BBCA decision to demolish an 18-storey tower block and rehouse its elderly residents is to be reconsidered.
South Tyneside Council's Labour cabinet had unanimously voted to pull down Durham Court, in Hebburn, which was built in 1974.
However, the local authority's scrutiny committee has decided to reconsider the move, after an outcry from residents, and voted in favour of the issue going back to the cabinet for further discussions.
Resident Colin Rosner, who attended the meeting, said he hoped to live in the tower for the rest of his life.
The block, which is the last remaining residential high-rise building in the town, was deemed to have outlived its "original intended lifespan" of 50 years and carrying out repairs, costing an estimated £12m, were not worth it.
The request for a call-in of the demolition decision was recently signed by opposing councillors from across the political board, including South Tyneside Alliance Group (STAG) representatives, independents and one Green Group councillor.
STAG's Andrew Guy previously said the demolition would be an "appalling mistake".
"This is about proper accountability," he said.
"Decisions of this scale shouldn't be signed off without full and open consideration of the long-term impact on residents, services and public investment."
It was previously revealed that if the demolition went ahead, residents would face the upheaval of being rehoused over a possible five-year period.
However, the council promised tenants it would find new homes for them in Hebburn.
Speaking after the meeting, Labour chair of the scrutiny committee, John Gerard McCabe, said: "The cabinet can look at that decision again, review it and come up with hopefully a good solution."