Newcastle City Council - Byker Investment Task Force Report

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Housing Minister John Healey has pledged to give his full support to a new vision for the future of the iconic Byker estate. 

These proposals will bring £48 million into Byker and put the community in control of investment in the estate, redesigning homes, making them greener and creating new employment opportunities for local people. The plan has been prepared by a special taskforce set up by Mr Healey and independently chaired by Professor Peter Roberts.  It will be subject to agreement by the Byker community themselves.

Mr Healey met with residents of the historic site where he welcomed proposals for the future of Byker, and pledged Government backing by writing off around £44 million in local housing debt.

Read or download the full Byker Investment Task Force Report (pdf, 6.5Mb)

Read the Byker Community Pledge

Background

The Byker Task Force is chaired by Professor Peter Roberts. The group includes Your Homes Newcastle, Newcastle City Council, English Heritage and Bridging NewcastleGateshead.

The Byker Estate

• The Byker estate was designed by Ralph Erskine. Built to house the existing Byker community, it is distinctive and full of character, breaking the mould of the high rise orthodoxy of the time.
• The estate won international acclaim as an exemplar of 1970’s social housing development.
• It became a grade II* listed building in 2006, and is categorised as within the top 6% of all listed buildings in the country.

The Task Group

• Includes the Homes and Communities Agency, Newcastle City Council, Your Homes Newcastle, Bridging NewcastleGateshead and English Heritage.
• Chaired by Professor Peter Roberts independent Chair of the Byker Taskforce.
• Aims to maximise investment in Byker, protect its heritage value, involve the local community and strengthen the community’s role in the future as well as developing a self-financing and sustainable vision for the estate’s future.

The proposal

• The Decent Homes programme led by the Arms Length Management Organisation, Your Homes Newcastle, is well underway on the estate with £17m invested so far and £18m planned by end of 2011. However, the Taskforce has concluded that longer term investment is needed to secure and build upon the Decent Homes improvements works on the estate.
• The government will support a community trust by writing off housing debt of £44 million associated with the estate. The level of debt written off would be agreed with the HCA before a ballot on the proposals.
• The Taskforce will continue to lead to ensure that momentum is maintained and this scheme is completed before the proposed reforms of the housing finance system are implemented.
• The proposal would establish a Community Trust for Byker, to manage investment across the estate, tackle deprivation by creating training and employment opportunities for local people, and work to develop land and buildings across Byker. The local community would play a key role in the Trust and its Board, working alongside the ALMO Your Homes Newcastle (who would provide support and management services).
• Investment would focus on redesign/renewal of the local environment, better community safety, improved energy efficiency, improved access and parking and better services for waste management and recycling. Other priorities would include use of new technology on the roof to capture solar power, and better use of public buildings.

What happens next

• The decision to create a new Community Housing Trust rests with the local community, who will have the opportunity to vote on the proposal.
• A Community Trust would be a charity, and would own and manage the estate in perpetuity for the benefit of local residents.
• Once the community vote to create a Community Trust, the Government would be asked to write off the housing debt associated with the estate.