A national housebuilder has obtained planning permission to build a development of 234 new residential units on a vacant site at Brenda Road in Hartlepool.

Keepmoat Homes, with support from Hartlepool Borough Council and the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority, will be building on a partly derelict site which has been untouched for the last two years. The site was formerly used by Ford Motors as a dealership in 1997, and will now provide a range of highly accessible new homes for sale, with 36% of the total dwellings allocated for affordable housing, representing double the 18% requirement from the Council.

The development will feature a range of 150 private homes for sale, which will comprise of two, three and four-bedroom properties. In addition, 84 two and three-bedroom bungalows and houses will be built for the council to provide affordable housing.

Councillor Shane Moore, the leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said:

“This is a fantastic development which absolutely goes with everything that we’ve been saying over the past few years about the Council intervening, and once again building our own housing stock to provide good quality homes and truly affordable homes for our residents.

Since its closure, the Ewart Parsons site has often been a target for anti-social behaviour and this positive development will certainly help to reduce this.”

As part of Keepmoat Homes’ commitment to employment and opportunities in the region, the new development will both safeguard and create 725 construction jobs.

Ian Prescott, North East land and partnerships director said:

“We are delighted to have secured planning consent along with the Brown Field Grant approval for this challenging site.

As well as bringing competitively priced high-quality homes for first time buyers to the town, the scheme will also deliver a significant number of much needed affordable homes. This will include bungalows for older persons or those with disabilities.

This £35 million project will also safeguard and create over 700 construction related jobs, which will massively benefit the local community.”

The business has secured a £1.9m Brown Field Grant from the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority to assist the project, which will help transform the community and bring economic benefit to the area.

Work is due to start on site in March 2022.