planning for the future Petwell Crescent bungalows

The board of believe housing met yesterday (Wednesday, 3 July) to consider the results of consultation with tenants at Petwell Crescent in Easington over the future of their homes.

The percentage of tenants who responded to the consultation was 87%. Of the people who responded, 45% agreed with the proposal to demolish the properties. 47.5% disagreed with the proposal and 6% neither agreed or disagreed, or left their form blank.

In considering the feedback,  believe housing’s board took into account that a further three tenants moved out of the bungalows while the consultation was taking place.

The board has now considered all feedback from tenants and residents on the proposal to demolish the Petwell Crescent bungalows that are owned by believe housing.

They have also considered all comments that were made together with the alternatives to demolition that were suggested, including partial demolition and decided that demolition should proceed. This is due to the extensive nature of the improvements needed to address flooding, damp and mould issues, deliver required structural improvements and to bring the homes up to modern standards. Similar issues would apply if only some of the homes were demolished.

believe housing will provide dedicated support for everyone affected to help them relocate to a new home of their choice. We will arrange to meet with you to find out where you want to live and the needs that should be taken into account in supporting you to move.

The first step will be to ask everyone looking to move within County Durham to register on Durham Key Options (DKO). Support and advice is available to help with this, if you need it. More information about DKO can be found here.

If you want to move outside of County Durham we will talk to you about how we could support this.

There is no set timescale for people relocating from Petwell Crescent. We will support you to find the right home, that you want to live in and that meets your needs. We understand that this may take some time.

Financial compensation will be available when you move and there will also be financial support for the costs of moving. Our Home Loss and Disturbance guidance can be found here.

The dedicated support team can be contacted by phoning our customer hub on 0300 1311 999 or by emailing the team direct on
PetwellRelocation@believehousing.co.uk.

There will be dedicated one-to-one sessions available for people who would like help to fill in their DKO application. These can be booked direct with the support team on the email address above or by phoning the customer hub on 0300 1311 999.

We understand that some people will be feeling anxious following this decision and the need to relocate. Please be assured, we are committed to providing advice and support to make this move a successful one.