Consultation underway over Horden's Masterplan for regeneration
By Kris Jepson
A Durham County Council consultation is underway over the Masterplan to regenerate an area of Horden known as the 'Numbered Streets'.
The council told ITV News the process may take 20 to 30 years, but some residents who live in the village said they need action now.
One resident told this programme "they say 10 to 20 years to get these houses sorted. I think we need something doing now about Horden".
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Horden Colliery Residents' Association has been calling on Durham County Council to invest in the area in recent years after fielding complaints from tenants about empty houses, fly-tipping, anti-social behaviour, drugs, arson and vermin.
Chair of the residents' association, Pat Barnett, told ITV News she welcomes the council's consultation.
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Durham County Council has drawn up six options for the residents to discuss.
They include:
Improving the streets and back lanes
Making the existing houses "family-friendly"
Partially demolishing and rebuilding the housing
Partially demolishing and rebuilding the housing with an educational hub
Wholesale clearance of the area and rebuilding from scratch
Wholesale clearance of the area and rebuilding from scratch with an educational hub
Dawn Scorer, who is a resident in Horden, told ITV News she would prefer to see the current housing stock being renovated, rather than houses being knocked down and rebuilt.
Durham County Council said it is actively seeking a meeting with the Housing Minister, Kit Malthouse MP, in order to discuss the options.
For the masterplan to become reality, the council said it need to secure funding.