Hartlepool Swimming Instructor Wins Approval to Open Pool to the Public....

Council Officers had recommended the plans be refused when they went before a council committee this week, however, HBC Exposed understands the plans have now been approved, despite public concerns.

13th March 2025

A Hartlepool swimming instructor has finally won her battle to open her home swimming pool to the public, after councillors overturned planning officer’ recommendations to reject the proposals..

Miss Suzanne Yorke had previously applied for permission to offer swimming lessons from her private pool, but her initial plans were refused by Hartlepool Borough Council due to concerns over noise and disruption to the neighbourhood.,

After a number of revisions were made to the proposals in a bid to address the issues that led to the first application being refused, its said that her plans were finally given the green light by town councillors this week—despite opposition from council planning officers.

Its claimed Council officers had initially indicated they may have approved the new plans, if Miss Yorke could demonstrate that she'd tackled the concerns raised in the first application. The revised proposal included key changes, such as relocating parking to the rear of the property and reducing operating hours. However, planning officers were said t have remained 'unconvinced', recommending that councillors refuse the application once again when it went before a committee this week...

Despite this, when the application went before the council’s planning committee at Hartlepool's Civic Centre this week, councillors took a different stance, despite some local residents repeating their objections from the previous application. Its claimed members of the Planning Committee reportedly commended Miss Yorke for taking steps to address previous concerns which led to the previous application being denied, with councillors acknowledging the potential benefits her swimming lessons could bring to the community and ultimately voting to approve the plans.

Miss Yorke’s victory marks a significant turnaround in what had initially seemed like a lost cause, with her swimming lessons likely to be available soon to local residents.