A formerly run-down street in Teesdale is once again hoping to become the pride of the village thanks to a North East charity, with support from a local Housing Association and Durham County Council
After years of neglect, Chapel Street, one of the oldest streets in Evenwood, County Durham, had become run down, with boarded up houses attracting fly tipping and anti-social behaviour. One two-bedroom home recently went under the hammer with a guide price of £7,500, having sold for £65,000 seven years before.
North East charity Five Lamps has been turning things around, having secured dedicated Government funding for voluntary and community groups to tackle the issue of long term empty properties.
Without this dedicated funding, owners of empty homes are often unable to access any funds to bring their properties back into use, creating a vicious cycle of decline in areas with high numbers of empty properties.
Five Lamps have spoken with the owners of all of the empty properties, some of whom live as far away as Bristol and Southampton. Owners have relinquished their empty properties for up to a decade, so that the homes can be let and managed by Teesdale Housing Association, part of North Star Housing Group.
All properties are refurbished to the decent homes standard which means that they have modern kitchens, bathrooms and boilers, are well insulated and are free of health and safety hazards.
Contractors that are appointed by Five Lamps to undertake the refurbishment works are encouraged to provide employment opportunities for local people. The contractor undertaking the works at Chapel Street agreed to take on Ali, who was on The Work Programme as he had been unemployed for several years. Ali was recruited as a self-employed building contractor and Five Lamps supported him with a Start-Up Loan to support his new business enterprise.
And with work on the first homes complete, the first tenants can finally start settling in to the new and improved Chapel Street.
Walter Knight is one of the new tenants, who has moved in this spring. He said:
“They’ve done such a lovely job on the house. It’s great to see work being carried out on the whole street. In so many other places old houses like these would be pulled down, but they’ve got so much character. They are all different inside and I can’t wait to see the others when they are finished”
A former bus and coach driver, Walter, 56, was originally from Spennymoor. Having moved all over the UK and travelled across Europe for work, he’s returned to the North East to be near his son, daughter and seven grandchildren.
He said:
“I’ve always tried to spend as much time with the grandkids as possible, but when you live far away you feel like you miss out on so many milestones as they grow up. I’m lucky to have been able to move into this house so I can be near them. I’m nearly settled in now, but I’ve just got to get the pictures of the grandkids put up!”
Sally Thomas, head of community investment at North Star Housing, said:
“It’s a win-win situation for landlords and residents alike, and we’re delighted to now be able to welcome the first tenants in to their newly renovated homes. The houses in Chapel Street are a set of very attractive terraced homes. But it’s about more than bricks and mortar. It means strengthening communities and providing homes for local people, at a time when demand is so high in areas like Evenwood and neighbouring Cockfield.”
The local Parish Council has been supportive of the project, part of a £1.8million programme using a government Empty Homes Community grant to bring 75 properties back into use across Teesside and County Durham.
Cllr Pauline Charlton, Durham County Council Chairman and Ward Councilor commented
“On the face of it, it can be nothing but good and it seems like an excellent scheme which will improve the area greatly”.