400 More New Homes Could Be on the Way as Hartlepool Borough Council Considers Summerhill Access Road Deal...
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Hartlepool Borough Council Set to Consider Summerhill Land Deal Paving Way for Major 400-Home Development…
8th Sep 2026 04:24am
Hartlepool Borough Council is set to consider an agreement which could pave the way for a major new housing development of around 400 homes near Summerhill Country Park despite concerns from local residents that the plans could cause traffic chaos…
Members of the council’s Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Services Committee will be asked on the 15th of September to approve an option agreement with housebuilder Taylor Wimpey, allowing the developer to use council-owned land to create the main road access into its proposed Tunstall Farm South development.
Under the proposals, Summerhill Lane would be marginally widened, including into council-owned verge land, while a new access road would be constructed from the roundabout at the western end of Summerhill Lane. The proposed road would then run north around the existing cycle track before connecting with the planned housing site.
Around 400 new homes proposed
Council papers reveal that discussions between Hartlepool Borough Council and Taylor Wimpey have been taking place for several years over how the Tunstall Farm South site could be accessed.
The development itself is expected to comprise approximately 400 new dwellings, although the agreement currently before councillors is not planning permission for the housing development, where a full planning application would still have to be submitted and considered through the normal planning process.
The council says several possible routes for the access road have been examined because of the potential impact on Summerhill Country Park, its visitor centre and the existing cycle track with officers settling on a route which travels further north around the cycle track. Although longer and more expensive for the developer, the council believes this option would best minimise the impact on the existing Summerhill facilities.
Developer would pay for road works…
If the scheme ultimately receives planning approval, Taylor Wimpey would be responsible for the full cost of widening Summerhill Lane and constructing the new access road to adoptable highway standards. The agreement would also provide Hartlepool Borough Council with a financial payment for allowing the works across its land.
Council officers describe that payment as effectively a “windfall capital receipt” for the authority which in 2023 was declared an authority with no public confidence. However, exactly how much money the council could receive has not been & is never likely to be publicly disclosed.
Interestingly, officers acknowledge that the preferred longer access route actually reduces the amount the council could receive, because Taylor Wimpey would face higher construction costs. The council nevertheless believes the chosen route provides the best balance between facilitating the housing development and protecting the operational use of Summerhill.
Council could lose payment if agreement rejected…
The committee report also warns that if councillors decide not to enter into the agreement, Taylor Wimpey could seek another highway solution which does not involve Summerhill Lane.
In that scenario, the council says the potential capital receipt would be lost.
Officers are therefore recommending that councillors approve the option agreement and delegate the final negotiations to senior council officials, with the council considering the proposal to represent “Best Value” and says the works should not materially affect Summerhill Country Park or its visitor centre, provided the development itself secures planning permission.
There would still be an opportunity for residents and other interested parties to have their say when the full planning application is brought forward, however, concerns over the already significant influx of traffic at peak times at Catcote Rd means many locals remain significantly concerned that any proposals to facilitate the development of a further 400 homes in the area will only lead to traffic chaos.
For now, however, the decision represents an important step towards potentially unlocking one of Hartlepool’s larger forthcoming housing developments despite it being a controversial one.
