Bid to extend Hartlepool shopping parade and to provide new apartments

Proposals have been submitted to Hartlepool Borough Council planning department to carry out the works at the end of the row of shops off Hartlepool’s King Oswy Drive.

Applicant GCS Developments NE is looking to provide two additional retail units on the land, which is currently used for parking and can be accessed off Nicholson Way.

The proposals also feature two two-bedroomed apartments above the potential shops.

A design and access statement from Alder Lester Architects, submitted on behalf of the applicant, states the development will “respond positively to the site and its local setting” and can be accessed “safely and conveniently”.

It said: “The design brief was to create an attractive, functional, high quality mixed development on the site, taking into consideration the site’s local context, including the adjacent buildings and their use.

“It is the objective of the design that the development creates an inclusive environment that meets the needs of all users of the buildings and spaces connecting various parts of the site.”

It added the proposals would be “wholly acceptable in terms of highway safety, capacity and sustainability”.

Application documents argue the site is “very well located for accommodating the additional residential development” and is therefore consistent with local and national planning aims.

The proposals would also include three car parking spaces at the rear of the new development along with an area for bin storage.

A decision is expected to be made on the proposals by the council planning department at the end of October.