Residents' anger at prospect of Middlesbrough homes being demolished

ANGRY residents planned to protest against the loss of their homes during a visit to Teesside of a high-powered foreign financier, in August 2004.

Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon was set to welcome Dubai economics minister Mohamed Ali Alabbar to the town, to be shown the town's reclaimed dockland, earmarked for a £500m redevelopment.

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The 279 houses at St Hilda's, in Middlesbrough, 89 of which were empty, were to be demolished for the area to be incorporated into the Middlehaven redevelopment.

Three hundred residents from the neighbourhood were rehoused, but were angry that their houses would be pulled down.

Terry Dixon, who lived in the area, said: "We are going to be out there, to meet the sheik with placards. We are determined to make our presence felt.'' He had just received an £1,000 government award for transforming the cleared site of a warehouse at St Hilda's into sports pitches.

Mr Dixon said youngsters who helped with the project cannot use the land because, as the area is to be redeveloped, Middlesbrough Council has stopped cutting the grass.

He said: "If these kids cannot play on the grassy area, they are going to go elsewhere and could get involved in antisocial behaviour."

Mr Mallon said: "I'm not surprised that some people are unhappy at the prospect of having to move, but the fact is that developers are simply not interested in including the occupied houses of St Hilda's in their plans."

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Teesside's Chinese community was celebrating a £300,000 boost towards the development of a home for its members in the region.

Work was under way on the site, in St John's Wood, Middlesbrough, to build apartments and communal facilities, in August 2004.

The development was on the site of a disused garage next to scheme organiser Tees Valley Housing Group's head office, in North Ormesby Road.

Kew Lim, chairwoman of the centre committee, said: "We are looking forward to the expected completion of this very important new home for the North-East Chinese community.