Scrutiny

2023 Investigation - Derelict Land and Buildings in Hartlepool

The Audit and Governance Committee are carrying out a scrutiny investigation into derelict land and buildings in Hartlepool. This includes both residential and commercial buildings.

A derelict building is one which is:

• Unoccupied - i.e. no one lives there or in the case of commercial buildings the business has gone
• In a badly damaged or dangerous condition - not just dirty or has a sofa in the front garden but for example the roof might be gone, there might be extensive fire damage or the windows could be all smashed or boarded up
• No one enters or leaves the property on a regular basis
• In the case of derelict land it could have (for example) extensive fly tipped waste, be extremely overgrown with brambles or bushes, or be the unused site of a demolished building

We recognise the detrimental impact of derelict buildings on communities in areas such as -

• The health and wellbeing of the population (including mental health)
• Crime and antisocial behaviour
• Sense of pride in the town
• Feeling part of the community
• The local economy

We would like to hear views from residents, businesses and visitors to the town about the sites which concern you and how they affect you. We also like to hear your suggestions for actions we can take to tackle these issues.

There are two ways you can give us your views:

1. If you want to tell us about a house or residential property click this link to complete a survey
2. If you want to tell us about a public building, commercial building, former business unit or area of land use the places tool to drop a pin on the map showing the site you want to tell us about. Then answer a few questions to tell us about it. If you have a photo of the site you can upload it too!