Ex-council offices to be bulldozed for homes

PLANS have been lodged for the demolition of ex-council offices to make way for new housing in Wallsend.

Parkside House on Elton Street West has been earmarked to be levelled to make way for 10 new properties, according to North Tyneside Council’s website. The local authority secured funding from the North of Tyne Combined Authority’s ‘Brownfield Housing Fund’ in order to finance the scheme.

The site, according to council documents, has been cleared of “asbestos-containing materials” ahead of any demolition works. Demolition is expected to commence on June 1, 2024, and be completed by January next year, although the application is still pending approval.

The demolition forms part of North Tyneside Council’s ‘Ambition for Wallsend’ project. One of the major policies is to improve the quality of housing in Wallsend.

The council secured £600,000 to buy and refurbish empty homes in the terraced streets north of High Street East. According to the authority’s statistics, the number of empty homes in North Tyneside has fallen by 35% since 2019.

Several empty properties on Charlotte Street, Wallsend, were taken over by the council in 2020 and renovated as family homes. A council report said these properties were previously under the ownership of a “rogue” landlord.