Durham County Council agrees to buy back derelict Ferryhill 'blight'

Cabinet members approved the reacquisition of Feryemount House in Ferryhill on Wednesday (September 16), five years after the building was sold off.

The move follows growing concerns about the condition of the former care home, which has continued to deteriorate and become a hotspot for anti-social behaviour.

A council spokesperson said: “We are pleased to say that we have taken action and will be reacquiring Feryemount House in Ferryhill after years of delays and lack of progress from developers to regenerate the site."

The building was closed by Durham County Council in 2014 after the authority estimated it would need to spend almost £4.2 million over the following 10 years to bring Feryemount House and four other County Durham care homes up to the required standard.

Feryemount House in Ferryhill will be bought back by Durham County Council, five years after it was sold. (Image: GOOGLE)

Since then, several attempts have been made to bring the site back into use.

Plans were submitted in 2018 to convert the building into apartments, but the scheme failed to progress.

“The property has deteriorated significantly in that time and continues to be affected by anti-social behaviour, which we have been working hard to prevent," the council spokesperson said.

“As a result, we have incurred nearly £30,000 in costs to secure and maintain the site.

“Now, reacquiring Feryemount will allow us to deal with a high-profile blight on the local community, while supporting improvements to Ferryhill, allowing us to facilitate further development on the site.”

In 2021, Durham County Council sold the property to developer Care Co Plus Ltd.

However, the building continued to deteriorate, becoming a target for vandalism, with smashed windows and graffiti attracting complaints from residents.

In July 2025, developers said work would finally begin on the site after it had become an eyesore in Ferryhill town centre.

Durham Constabulary had also carried out patrols in the area amid concerns over anti-social behaviour linked to the vacant building.

(Image: UK Parliament)

Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor MP Alan Strickland said: "Having campaigned on this issue since early last year, I’m pleased to see action is finally being taken.

"Residents have had to put up with this eyesore for too long. Thankfully, we are now seeing progress.

"I will continue to press the council on its plans for the building once the buy back has been secured."