A number of abandoned properties that were placed on Middlesbrough Council's "hit list" are now secure and ready to be redeveloped, the authority says.
The four sites, described as "eyesores" by the council, have been empty for a number of years and have become a blight for local communities.
Abandoned sites in the town have led to a rise in anti-social behaviour in some areas and redeveloping these properties has become a priority for the council. In June the council's executive began working with site owners to stall the "blight of stalled developments" and find new purposes for the properties.
Over the last 10 months, the council has located the owners of many of the properties, cleared the sites and helped progress development plans.
In an executive report - published by the council last June - 11 sites had been earmarked as areas which the council wished to redevelop. They are:
- The Former Quoit Club, on Addington Drive
- Newcastle House Pub, on Ingram Road
- Liberty's nightclub, on Longlands Road
- 56 Cargo Fleet Lane,
- The former Wee Willie, Evesham Road
The former Middlehaven Pub, Stockton Street
The former Methodist Church, Kings Road
Marton Country Club
The Market Tavern, North Ormesby
The site by Douglas House, Ingram Road
The former Roseberry Petrol Station Acklam Road
Of these sites, four have been secured for redevelopment.
The map below shows the sites that have been identified by the council as ones that "detract significantly from local communities" and which it wants to redevelop. The four sites with pictures have been secured by the council for development. Clicking on each site reveals the council's current plans.
Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston said: "Derelict sites can really bring down an area, and they're magnets for anti-social behaviour, vandalism and arson.
"That has a knock-on effect on the local community and they shouldn't have to put up with it.
"This approach sends out a clear message that we're not going to sit back and wait for things to happen - we're making them happen."
