But unfortunately the swimming pool has vanished without a trace, the library is not a library anymore, and the school has long gone. The butcher has gone as well, ‘the dinner shop’ has gone, even the off-licence has gone. In fact, with the exception of the Community Bakery, the News Cabin is the only shop left in Scotswood. The shopkeeper wants to leave as well, but Mrs. Iqbal says: "We can’t. We don’t own this property, and the Council is still negotiating with our landlord. If we just gave up, we wouldn’t get a penny. So we’re stuck here. If we appeal to the Council, they say: we’re trying to put some sense into your landlord. But I don’t know what is really going on. I used to enjoy this shop, there were lovely people here. But now I’m getting depressed. Some days, nobody comes in here."

Originally, the Newcastle Council offered a paltry sum to owner-occupiers whose houses were to be demolished. The offers may have reflected the market value of the houses in question, but they were not nearly enough to buy a comparable house elsewhere.
Thanks to a national scheme, the Housing Market Regeneration Pathfinder, it was possible to more than double the offers. Not everyone accepted, though. The gentleman in the picture - let’s call him Mr. Jones - refuses to budge. He will stay in this house unless he’s offered more money or until the Council forces him out using its Compulsory Purchase powers.