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'Demolition of our parents' home breaks my heart'

Jonathan Swingler
BBC Look North
BBC Moira looking into the camera. She has dark, long hair with a full fringe and tears in her eyes.BBC
Moira Bellingham says the idea of losing her childhood home "breaks her heart"

The owners of an old miner's house have said they are heartbroken at the thought of its demolition.

Durham County Council set out to buy all of the properties on Third Street in Horden with the aim of demolishing them to build new homes to regenerate the area.

But sister and brother Moira and Raymond Bellingham do not want to leave their family home of 59 years and said the houses should be retained as they are part of the village's mining history.

Michael Kelleher, head of planning and housing at the local authority, said: "The Horden Masterplan has been subject to extensive consultation with residents and received strong support."

Ms Bellingham said her father worked down the mines and the houses on Third Street were built specifically for them.

"They're just going to obliterate all the history," she said.

"It just breaks my heart to think that the council just want to come along and smash my mam and dad's property to pieces and just put us out to wherever."

Raymond and Moira Bellingham smiling into the camera. They are standing outside their red brick house. Raymond has short, brown hair, is wearing a blue, red and white checked short-sleeved shirt, jeans and is holding a walking stick. Moira has dark, long hair will a full fringe. She is wearing a black t-shirt.
Raymond and Moira Bellingham have lived in their Third Street house their whole lives

Mr Bellingham said the stress of losing his childhood home had affected his health.

"The stress alone of all of this is just so severe and they just don't seem to care," he said.

His sister said she did not believe the siblings would be offered enough money to buy a new home.

A campaign group Fair Deal for Horden was set up in response to the plans and it believes the area could be regenerated by refurbishing the houses rather than demolishing them.

A view of Third Street from the middle of the road. There are red-brick terraced housing on both sides, some of the houses are boarded up.
The council said its intention was to purchase all of the houses on Third Street

Mr Kelleher said the aim of the masterplan was to "regenerate the village and improve life for local people".

"The acquisition of properties in Third and Fifth Street will pave way for new council housing that is truly affordable, alongside the provision for private housing.

"We understand this is an unsettling time, and we are working closely with owners and landlords to negotiate the purchase of their properties and identify the housing needs of local people."

But the siblings do not want to leave the home they grew up in.

"There's no such thing as having a nicer home because it would be another house, it wouldn't be a home," Mr Bellingham said.

Ms Bellingham added: "You could offer me a palace and it wouldn't mean a thing to me."

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