Plan for new homes near Hartlepool country park set to be decided
Plans to build new homes on land near Summerhill Visitor Centre could finally be approved at a key meeting.
Proposals have been lodged with Hartlepool Borough Council planning department to provide nine three and four-bedroom homes at Southbrooke Farm, off Summerhill Lane.
A similar application to provide 14 properties from Mike Dickinson was previously rejected by the local authority’s planning committee in 2021 and an appeal to the national Planning Inspectorate was later dismissed.
The latest proposals from Compass Developments (NE) initially sought to deliver the same number of homes before being reduced during the application process to nine.
The scheme would include two three-bedroom properties and seven four-bed sites.
A decision is to be made on the proposals by the council’s planning committee when they meet on Wednesday, February 18, with a report from officers recommending the application is approved.
It states: “Weight in the overall planning balance is given to the positive benefits of the scheme, including the significant benefits of bringing a brownfield site back into use.
“In view of the consideration of the economic, environmental and social benefits of the scheme (including the biodiversity contribution), it is, on balance, considered that the development is acceptable.”
The approval would be subject to the completion of a section 106 legal agreement securing funds from the developer to mitigate the impacts of the scheme.
This includes £10,000 towards borough-wide biodiversity compensation, £2,250 each for built sports facilities and green infrastructure, £2,099.61 towards playing pitches and £513.18 for tennis court improvements.
A planning statement from JT Planning notes the applicant “remains committed to contributing to local infrastructure” along with improving the “dilapidated state of the land”.
It adds: “The proposals are considered to be high quality in design and would deliver much needed housing for the local area.”
No objections have been lodged over the application, while 23 comments of support have been submitted to the council praising the scheme.