Demolition of homes in Gresham

The request was successful.

Dear Middlesbrough Council,

Subject: Freedom of Information request - Demolition of homes in Gresham

I would like to know the following information, under Part 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 -

1. How many homes in total, have been acquired under the former HMRPI in the Gresham area of Middlesbrough since 2004/5?

2. What have been the total costs of acquiring those homes in GBP's?

3. (i) How many of those acquired homes have since been demolished
and (ii) at what cost in GBP's?

4. (i) How many further homes (from 1st January 2012) are the Council intending to acquire and again (ii) at what cost in GBP's?

5. How many of these 'further' acquired homes in total, are going to be demolished once they've been acquired by the Council?

6. What are the total monies spent by the Council to date, in order to 'match fund' the transitional payments granted by central government?

7. What will the council do (alternative plan B) if their bid for transitional payments from central government is declined?

Yours sincerely
Mr Dan Thomas

Middlesbrough Council

Dear Mr Thomas

REF NO:   2805.1.1.

Thank you for your recent enquiry, received on 25 January 2012.  We can
confirm that your enquiry is receiving attention and a response will be
provided within 20 working days following receipt of your enquiry as
allowed under the Freedom of Information Act legislation.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, I will
let you know the likely charges before proceeding.

Please do not hesitate to contact me direct on (01642) 729696/729698 or
email [Middlesbrough Council request email] should you require any further advice or
assistance with this or any other matter.

Yours sincerely

Steph Robson
Freedom Of Information Officer

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Middlesbrough Council

Dear Mr Thomas

REF NO:  2805.1.1

Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in responding to your
information request. I am writing to confirm that Middlesbrough Council
has now completed its search for the information you requested on 25
January 2012.
In your request you asked for the following information:

1. How many homes in total, have been acquired under the former HMRPI in
the Gresham area of Middlesbrough since 2004/5?

Response: Gresham: 440
   
2. What have been the total costs of acquiring those homes in GBP's?

Response: £27.8m (includes acquisitions, relocation and demolition costs)
   
3. (i) How many of those acquired homes have since been demolished and
(ii) at what cost in GBP's?

Response: 153 (plus another 62-74 starting to be demolished in the next
two weeks) at circa cost of £3,500 per property (including utility company
costs).
   
4. (i) How many further homes (from 1st January 2012) are the Council
intending to acquire and again (ii) at what cost in GBP's?

Response: Circa 400 properties are remaining to be acquired in Gresham.
 Circa £26m is estimated to be the current requirement for remaining
acquisitions. Funding for Phase 1 and 2A has been secured, and funding for
Phase 2B is being sought.
   
5. How many of these 'further' acquired homes in total, are going to be
demolished once they've been acquired by the Council?

Response: The Council plans are still to demolish all the properties
included in answer 4 although a refurbishment block is being considered in
Phase 1 which could reduce this number.
   
6. What are the total monies spent by the Council to date, in order to
'match fund' the transitional payments granted by central government?

Response: Circa £600k has been spent so far in 2011/12 on the Transitional
Fund designated area in Gresham.
   
7. What will the council do (alternative plan B) if their bid for
transitional payments from central government is declined?
Response: Transitional Funding for Gresham has already been awarded and
paid to the Council.

If you have any queries about this letter, please do not hesitate to
contact me direct on (01642) 729696/729698 or email
[Middlesbrough Council request email].  Please remember to quote the reference number
shown above in any future communications.

If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled you may ask
for an internal review within 40 days of receipt of the response. You
should write to:-

Chris Davies,
Corporate Complaints Manager,
P.O. Box 503,
Ground Floor,
Town Hall,
Middlesbrough,
TS1 9FX
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for an
independent review.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: -
Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely

Steph Robson
Freedom of Information Officer

Members' Office
P.O. Box 503
Ground Floor
Town Hall
Middlesbrough
TS1 9FX

Tel.  01642 729696

FAX. 01642 729882
Email:   [Middlesbrough Council request email]

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