Fresh plans to demolish vandal-hit rehearsal hall
NCJ Media/LDRSFresh plans have been lodged to knock down a derelict building that has become a magnet for vandalism.
Sinfonia House in Jesmond Vale, Newcastle, has been disused for years and became the target of a suspected arson attack last summer.
An application to knock down the former rehearsal space for the Northern Sinfonia orchestra was rejected by Newcastle City Council in October. The authority said the plans did not provide sufficient assurance that the site would be left in a "visually acceptable condition".
A new application has been submitted, with documents stating the intention is to "clear this derelict site for future redevelopment".
An engineer's report also concludes that the vacant rehearsal hall and offices "can be safely demolished without affecting the highway".
Last summer, the Labour-led council had served an enforcement notice against Sinfonia House's owners to demand the site be tidied up, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The order asked to board up windows and parts of the building where cladding had been removed, to cut down overgrown vegetation and remove rubbish from the land.
The council is expected to make a decision on the plans soon.