Nine more council homes are set to become available to offer to residents after plans to acquire them were approved.

Hartlepool Borough Council’s finance and corporate affairs committee has agreed in principle to purchase nine new properties which will form part of the 1,260-home Persimmon Homes large South West Extension development.

The units will come under the local authority’s Housing Revenue Account (HRA) – which as of February had 356 properties – and will be available for affordable rent.

They include four two-bedroomed and five three-bedroomed properties which will be sited “in small clusters across the wider private market housing site”.

A CGI image of what the proposed development could look like. Photo credit: Persimmon Teesside

placeholder image — A CGI image of what the proposed development could look like. Photo credit: Persimmon Teesside

Construction is due to commence in early 2026 and the homes will have “an approximate 8-month build programme”.

Council officers noted the local authority needs to grow its housing stock to “meet the affordable housing needs of residents” and “to strengthen the financial resilience of the HRA”.

The move will also bring “high demand good quality accommodation into the council’s housing stock.”