Council to sell former traveller site

The council said it was seeking a demolition contractor for the works

A former traveller site is to be demolished and sold by a council.

The closure of the spot, on the Baltic Road Industrial Estate in Felling, Gateshead, was approved in April 2024.

Gateshead Council has now said it has found "no alternative council use" for the land and will sell it to a provide a "commercial development opportunity".

It is currently seeking demolition contractors for the buildings on the site, a spokesperson said.

The local authority previously said the lack of traveller demand for the site meant it should be converted for alternative use.

The site, which is made up of 18 pitches and several brick buildings, had been "extensively vandalised" and become a fly-tipping hotspot, a council report said.

In 2022, the site was occupied by just one person. But since 2023, it has remained empty.