Land deal for 80 bungalows on former Brierton School site in Hartlepool rubber-stamped by councillors

Brierton School closed in 2009, with redevelopment seeing it become home Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and the Pupil Referral Unit, as well as improved sports facilities, including a 3G pitch.

But 7.87 acres on the western part of the site on Brierton Lane was deemed surplus to requirements and identified by the council for residential development.

A major housing association for a development comprising approximately 50 affordable rented bungalows and 30 shared ownership bungalows, all for older people, made an offer to Hartlepool Borough Council.

Council chiefs said the proposed development would provide a ‘significant increase’ in affordable housing for the older people in the area.

Councillors on the finance and policy committee unanimously approved giving the sale of land the go-ahead.

Coun Shane Moore said: “I welcome this proposal, and I think most members will, because there is a lack of decent quality bungalows across the town.”

Officers said there is a good level of demand in the area and the ‘development should therefore prove popular and meet demand for a number of years’.

Council bosses said the site has been on the market since Autumn 2017.

Denise McGuckin, council director of regeneration and neighbourhoods, said: “We did have a number of offers, we’ve waited until we got the right value for it. It’s the right thing to do.”

She added the completion of the sale will result in a ‘significant capital receipt’ and the construction of the development will also result in the payment of new homes bonus (subject to continuation of the scheme) and additional council tax.

Councillors also backed exploring the use of developer funding for the bungalows to go towards enhancing the sport and leisure provision at Brierton.

The site formerly had outline planning permission for 107 dwellings, granted as part of the planning permission for the alterations and redevelopment of the rest of the site, but this had since expired.

Plans for the site will now need to be submitted to the council planning department for final approval.