Heron plans approved for Headland Gate site

Plans have been approved to bring the site of a former pub on the Headland back into use as a convenience store.

Proposals were submitted to Hartlepool Borough Council planning department earlier this year for the land previously home to Headland Gate Public House on the corner of Northgate and Durham Street.

The plans from Elder Properties stated they wanted to host a Heron Foods store at the site which would “be developed with a view to occupancy by early 2023”.

A report from council senior planning officer Jane Tindall has confirmed the proposals have now been approved, subject to final conditions being fulfilled, paving the way for work to begin.

It said: “It is considered on balance that the application is acceptable with respect to the relevant material planning considerations, and in accordance with the adopted Hartlepool Local Plan 2018.”

Proposals state the development will provide “four full time and eight part time job opportunities across a range of roles with flexible shift patterns offered”.

The Headland Gate pub ceased trading at the site in 2008, before being demolished in 2009 and the land made ready for redevelopment, but no work commenced.

A total of 17 letters backing the development were received by the council, praising the plans for bringing the site back into use, adding it is “much needed and will tidy the area up”.

A planning and retail statement from ELG Planning said the proposals would deliver a “high quality, modern format convenience store”.

It added: “The site has stood vacant for over a decade and evidently detracts from the visual amenity and general perceptions of the local area and is therefore clearly in desperate need of redevelopment.

“The proposals also represent significant capital investment in the area and will generate a number of additional job opportunities for local people.”