Derelict buildings still in need of safety checks

DERELICT buildings blighting some of Newcastle's favourite parks are still in need of safety checks before their fate is decided, councillors have been told.

- DANIEL HOLLAND

The derelict park keeper's lodge in Leazes Park

The future of prominent sites like the old Fisherman's Lodge restaurant and Jesmond Dene Banqueting Hall has been in question for years.

Urban Green Newcastle (UGN), the charity which was responsible for the city's parks from 2019 until earlier this year, had previously stated its hopes of restoration works to breathe fresh life into them.

But the scale of disrepair following years of declining investment and the "major" funding needed to bring some of the buildings back into use was cited as one of the factors behind the charity's downfall.