Bid to build new homes and expand business park submitted in plans to create more than 1,000 Hartlepool jobs

Leading North-East property development company Hellens Group has submitted a detailed planning application for the first phase of its proposals for the Queens Meadow business park, off the A689, in Hartlepool.

The initial plans aim to expand the business park by delivering 104,000 sq ft of employment space, which is designated for general business use, creating an estimated 130 new jobs.

The first phase also includes housing as part of plans to eventually build up to 210 properties, comprising a mix of two, three and four-bedroomed homes, on land to the east of the site.

Hellens says the houses “will not only support the growth of the business park but also make a significant contribution to addressing the housing needs in the borough”.

It has submitted its planning application, which is expected to be discussed by the newly created Hartlepool Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) in the new year, after studying feedback from a public consultation exercise earlier this year.

Gavin Cordwell-Smith, chief executive of Hellens Group, said: “We recently asked people what they thought about our proposals for the development of Queens Meadow development and we have been encouraged to hear messages of support for bringing jobs and much needed housing to the area.

“Queens Meadow has the potential to deliver significant opportunities for people to live and work in Hartlepool.

"We are excited to be bringing these plans forward.”

Queens Meadow is already home to a host of organisations and businesses such as Cleveland Fire Brigade and Pro-Pipe.

The Hellens Group, meanwhile, has offices in Washington, Stockton and Catterick and incorporates a number of property, construction, manufacturing and social enterprise businesses with interests throughout the North East and Yorkshire.

It brought Queens Meadow from Homes England in 2022 in a multi-million-pound deal.

Hellens has worked in collaboration with Hartlepool Borough Council and the Tees Valley Combined Authority on its plans for Queens Meadow and aims to eventually create up to 785 jobs at the business park and another 354 indirectly via the supply chain.

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