The Government has refused to list one of Tyneside's least loved buildings, the 29-storey Derwent Tower, and Gateshead Borough Council will now be able to bring forward plans for the site.
It plans to demolish the flats together with 116 adjacent maisonettes for new homes and shops.
"We welcome the decision not to list Derwent Tower and we think the 95% of residents who live under its shadow and who've told us it is a blight on their landscape will agree," said cabinet member for housing Angela Armstrong.
"Many people see the Derwent Tower as representing all that was wrong with the past, when buildings were designed and created rather than places to live. Some also don't appreciate its serious structural problems which are due to its poor design and its poor standards of construction."
The building would require many millions of pounds to make it habitable.
The 29-storey 1960s building is in a poor structural condition and many of its 196 flats suffered from damp and English Heritage recommended a certificate of immunity from listing.
