New bat survey planned to see if eyesore Jarrow buildings can be demolished

The unloved buildings stand, for now, near Inverness Road on the town’s Scotch Estate. The Gazette reported in January that South Tyneside Council, who own both of the disused properties, intends to have them flattened.

The properties in question used to make up the residential home Perth Green House, which also served as a facility for older people who were recovering from illness or injury.

Both of the buildings have stood empty since 2016 when Perth Green staff were transferred to the new Haven Court centre in the grounds of South Tyneside Hospital.

However, the two buildings they left behind have not yet been removed from the landscape due to the presence of bats.

Unfortunately, the two-storey, boarded up properties have become a target for vandals, both inside and outside.

A bat survey was carried out at the site in 2020, which confirmed that the animals were hibernating inside. The hibernation period is typically over by the end of April.

The local authority did not say exactly when the new survey would take place, but that it would be carried out during this summer.

It is illegal to demolish any building where bats are living. All 18 species of bats in England and Wales are protected by law. The animals have been declared an endangered species and a European Protected Species.

The law also says that bats can not be simply removed by force. Anyone wishing to bulldoze a building must simply wait until they have left of their own accord.

A number of other buildings in the surrounding area on the Scotch Estate have been flattened in recent years to make way for new developments, including the former Neon Club beside the Red Hackle pub.

A South Tyneside Council spokesperson said: “Now that the bat hibernation season has come to an end, we have arranged for a series of surveys to be carried out over the summer months to check for the presence of bats on the site."

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