Rumours that a derelict building in Cramlington will be turned into a house of multiple occupation (HMO) for asylum seekers have been quashed. More than 100 concerned residents attended a meeting at East Cramlington Community Centre on Monday evening following speculation that the nearby Lancaster House was to be developed into a home for asylum seekers.
Several police officers were also present at the packed meeting which came after claims on social media that people had been seen entering the building at night. Residents had also been informed that the building was to become a HMO, it is claimed.
Now Damian Murray, who owns the building, has confirmed to the community that the building is being renovated to create private rental flats. Mr Murray told ChronicleLive that he purchased the building two weeks ago and the plan is to complete a "cosmetic refurbishment" as there is "very little structural work that needs to be done". He plans for the work to be completed within six months.
Mr Murray said: "It's literally going to be refurbishment to each of the flats - new kitchen, new bathroom, decor etc. Once that's done we'll put them onto the local property market with a local agent and rent them in the private rental sector for anyone that applies with a passport, referencing, and all the applicable documentation for legal registered tenants - as we have done on all of our developments."
Julie, who has been a local resident for 30 years, attended the meeting after feeling "very worried" about the rumours. She said: "There's been a lot of rumours in Cramlington. I only found out about it three or four days ago but I think there's been rumours about this building for a while.
"For the last week-and-a-half there has been a lot of activity there and people are concerned. There's been a lot of things on Facebook of people saying that it's going to be for asylum seekers because they have been in and spoken to the workers."
She added: "The owner has been here tonight and he's categorically said that it's not for that and it's for private rentals. He categorically stated that he's definitely not going to be renting them out to asylum seekers but people don't believe him.
"A couple of people are taking his word but most of the people don't believe him. I just hope he's telling the truth."
Julie said that people have been attempting to smash the windows of the building because of the rumours. And people have claimed to have seen people going in and out of the building at night. However, on Monday residents were informed that no-one is currently living in the building.
Cramlington Town Council and Northumberland County Council have now confirmed that there was "no truth in [the] rumours".
In a joint statement online, the councils said: "Cramlington Town Council and Northumberland County Council are aware of rumours circulating in recent days around the future use of Lancaster House in Cramlington.
"We have spoken to the building owner, an established developer, and can confirm the plan for the site is private rented accommodation. There is no truth in rumours the building is to be used for 'asylum accommodation'."
Reform councillor candidate Richard Ross and town councillor Maggie Martin attended the meeting alongside residents. Mr Ross, who said the the local Reform party "broke the story" and was pleased to have received answers.
Mr Ross said: "On Thursday we became aware of a community issue which had been spanning many months. That evolved with several emails and pictures, speculation essentially, that there were people within a derelict building that had been planning applications for demolition for years, people had moved out and there was asbestos in there.
"We broke the story and essentially put a Facebook post out there highlighting the issue. What happened between Thursday and Monday was months of inaction became action. Emma Foody put a post out on Facebook and we got the answers we wanted.
"We asked quite a few questions, ones that a scared community would quite rightfully ask, and all were answered to the satisfaction of the crowd."
Emma Foody, elected Labour and Co-operative MP for Cramlington and Killingworth, said she had received emails and seen information online on the alleged usage of Lancaster House and had been in contact with local authorities. She directed people to a council statement stating there was "no truth in [the] rumours".
Ms Foody added that in recent months there has been "numerous allegations in relation to buildings in our area which have been found to be unsubstantiated".
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