REGENERATION

I have specialised in advising owners in Newcastle and Gateshead throughout the 1990s on schemes in Benwell, Newcastle and King Street, Gateshead and since 2000, where extensive development plans are underway in the West and East Ends of Newcastle.

Gateshead Council has initiated Neighbourhood Action Plans under “Bridging NewcastleGateshead” (www.bridgingng.org.uk), being one of the Government’s Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder schemes.

Both Newcastle and Gateshead Councils have gone through consultation exercises with local residents as to what they think of the proposals.  Obviously a large number of residents are against demolition of properties that are considered far from being uninhabitable. Conversely, in other areas a large number of properties owned by absentee landlords are boarded up (not having been occupied for some time) and as such are a blight on the area.

Where a consultation exercise leads a Council to pursue a programme of planned demolition, residents and landlords are entitled to receive compensation based on the "market value" of their property, together with “Home Loss”, based on 10% of the value, to compensate for an enforced move, as well as “Disturbance”, being the costs of removal and the reinstallation of services and domestic appliances as well as professional costs including reasonable legal and surveyor’s costs on both the sale of the property and the acquisition of a new property.

MARKET VALUE

You are entitled to the market value of your property, taking into account all the improvements you have carried out, which should reflect the price the property could achieve if it was placed on the market through an Estate Agent, having regard to current market conditions.  This should exclude any blight that the Council may have imposed on the area by proposing that houses in that area should be demolished – this should be ignored by the Council in any offer made by them for your property.  However, this is not always the case, and instructing a surveyor to act on your behalf is essential.

Over the last five years I have successfully achieved increases in values of properties owned by residents in both Newcastle (Scotswood and Walker) and Gateshead (Sunderland Road) under regeneration schemes.  I have followed their progress through, from people moving to new homes they may have acquired privately with the aid of grants, to dealing with Homeswap schemes, where residents have moved to like-for-like properties nearby which had been acquired and improved by the Council.

PROFESSIONAL FEES ARE PAID BY THE AUTHORITY AS THEY ARE OBLIGED TO DO SO ON REGENERATION SCHEMES. 

Home Loss Payment

You would receive the greater of £4,800 or 10% of the market value of the property that you occupy.

Disturbance Payments

The reasonable costs incurred by your surveyor and solicitor (including Title, searches, etc.)

The reasonable cost of obtaining a Home Buyer’s Survey.

The reasonable cost of arranging a new mortgage or transferring an existing one.

The reasonable cost of removals.

The reasonable cost towards the cost of alterations to curtains and blinds, and the refitting of your carpets.

The reasonable cost of disconnection and reconnection of some appliances, e.g. washing machine.

The reasonable cost of refitting satellite or cable television.

The reconnection of the telephone (the Council would not cover the cost of keeping the same telephone number

RELOCATION

Councils have a duty to be as helpful as possible in providing alternative accommodation, either to buy or to rent, within their area.  In this respect the following is provided by Newcastle City Council.