The council are throwing open the doors to three such abandoned properties which they have carefully renovated to create comfortable and affordable family homes.

The properties – two in Bensham and another on Durham Road – had been
empty for many years and had failed to attract either private buyers or property developers. Eventually, after complaints from local residents, Gateshead Council decided to buy them with the aim of bringing them back into use. Work began in the Spring.

Now, with the work on the three abandoned properties completed, the new-look homes will be opened up to public viewing during Housing Week.

The new family homes are likely to be of particular interest to residents who are likely to be displaced by the ongoing redevelopment of the area.

One of the three properties taken on by Gateshead Council was a pair of Tyneside flats in Macadam Street, Bensham which had previously lain empty since 2004, with one of the two flats already having been empty for two years prior to that. The two flats have now been converted into a single roomy three-bedroomed family house.

Modernisation work included the installation of extensive wall insulation which was carried out to improve the property’s energy efficiency – important because Tyneside flats do not have cavity walls and can be relatively expensive to heat. Revolutionary new insulation products have been used – such as surface insulation panels which are bonded directly to the inside walls of the building - to show how homes such as this can be brought up to modern standards of energy efficiency.

In addition to the Macadam street home, a previously poorly-converted flat in nearby Maxwell Street has also been renovated. This property was repossessed from its original owner but also failed to attract a buyer and was eventually bought by Gateshead Council in a bid to halt its further decline.

A third property – on Durham Road – had been divided into bedsits but had lain empty since 1999. It was purchased by Gateshead Council from the Assets Recovery Agency after it was seized under proceeds of crime legislation. The property has now been refurbished as a large family home.

All of the rebuilding and renovation work was carried out by Gateshead Council Local Environmental Services in partnership with Bridging NewcastleGateshead as part of the wider Housing Market Renewal Programme.

Sheila Johnston, director of Development and Enterprise, says: “Bringing empty properties such as this back into use and providing affordable, family accommodation is a key element in our efforts to deliver sustainable communities and raise housing market confidence.

“Despite being empty for some considerable time, there has been no interest from first-time buyers, existing home-owners or property investors willing to take on these properties for refurbishment.

“We have had numerous complaints about these properties, which had suffered regular fly-tipping and vandalism. Residents have rightly expressed their concerns about the effect this has had on the neighbourhood.

“Gateshead Council therefore decided to buy them so they can be modernised, renovated and brought back into use. “

The improvements are being carried out as part of a wider regeneration of the Bensham and Saltwell area which is seeing substantial new investment in existing properties, new housing, environmental improvements and better services.

All photographs: Magenta Studios, Newcastle. Furnishings provided by Ikea Gateshead.