Update on future of 'eyesore' Pickwick Arms site earmarked for demolition

It comes after last month South Tyneside Council secured full ownership of the The Pickwick Arms, in Dickens Avenue, in South Shields, following lengthy legal negotiations with the owner.

It means the “eyesore” former pub site is set to finally be demolished after being a magnet for graffiti, vandalism and trespassing in recent times, despite the council’s attempts to secure the area.

Local authority officers, speaking at the latest meeting of West Shields, Cleadon and East Boldon Community Area Forum, provided an update on the next steps for the site.

Andrew Whittaker, corporate lead for town centres and foreshore, said they want to move forward with demolishing the building at the “earliest opportunity” - although this is subject to surveys taking place over the coming weeks.

He said: “We are currently waiting in terms of that process to demolish the property, it needs to go through a planning process for demolition, and there are a number of ecology surveys we need to carry out.

“The key next step is getting planning approval ... once we get that green light from the planning process, work on site we would suggest would take between four and five weeks.

“It’s a key site we know that, we are keen as a local authority to have that moved on and obviously for the sake of the local residents we don’t want it to be in that circumstance for another six months or a year.”

However he added the timeframe will depend on the results of an upcoming ecology inspection, with two surveys already carried out, and a further one planned to take place in the coming weeks.

Councillor Chris Davies, who represents the Biddick and All Saints ward where the site is located, asked how long ecological mitigation works would take if they are needed, for example due to the presence of bats.

Mr Whittaker responded by noting he doesn't know what the timeline would be and it would vary based on factors including number of roosts and the time in the season it is found, with the issue "critical in our thoughts at the moment."

Councillor Rachael Taylor had asked if there was any way the building could be “repurposed and retrofit” to be more in keeping with the council’s carbon reduction targets, referencing the borough’s five-day climate summit held last month.

However Mr Whittaker noted it “is cheaper to knock the building down” and although he likes to see empty buildings repurposed, the Pickwick Arms site is “beyond being able to do that.”

He added: “There is no first floor to the property, although it is structurally sound, there is no first floor.

“In terms of modern standards for any accommodation, that property has been up for 40 odd years, it wouldn’t meet modern standards in terms of energy efficiency etc.”

Cllr Taylor, who also represents the Biddick and All Saints ward, noted she believes there are "a lot of pigeons inside the structure” and called on the council to use services which would remove the pigeons and eggs humanly, which officers stressed they would do.

A report to the meeting added the future use of the site is yet to be discussed.

Planning permission was previously granted by the local authority to demolish the site in 2018 - however no work took place and that permission has since expired.