Appeal lodged after demolition plans refused for old Hartlepool Yacht Club

In June 2022, Hartlepool Borough Council planning committee voted by seven votes to four to refuse an application to demolish the former club in Ferry Road and construct two artificial nesting structures for kittiwakes at the site.

Ahead of the meeting council planning officers recommended the proposals for approval, citing the “environmental benefits” and the small size of the site.

However councillors decided to turn down the proposals for three reasons, including concerns around a “constraining impact” on the economy and activities of the adjacent port.

Fears included the noise of the birds and an ‘adverse impact on the visual amenities of the area’.

An appeal has now been lodged over the refusal on behalf of the applicant, Orsted Hornsea Project Three, meaning it will go to the national Planning Inspectorate for a final ruling.

An appeal statement submitted argues the proposed development “will not have a significant adverse visual or noise impact on people in the surrounding area nor have a constraining effect on existing and proposed land uses”.

The development aims to mitigate against the impact the Hornsea Three offshore wind farm project off the Norfolk and Yorkshire coast may have on the birds, which are on the UK’s Red List for Birds of Conservation Concern.

A total of 15 objections were previously lodged against the proposals, including from PD Teesport, raising concerns the nesting sites would be an “eyesore” and impact business development due to increasing the bird numbers.