If It Was a HMO, They’d Have Approve It’ : Rejected Flat Conversion in Hartlepool's Headland Heads to Appeal...
- teessidetoday
- Jul 28
- 3 min read
Plans to convert the long term vacant former beauty salon in Hartlepool were rejected by council officials in April 2025 despite there being no objections from the local community. The plans will now head to the Governments Planning Inspectorate for a final decision.
28th July 2025
Plans to convert a long-vacant former beauty salon into a one-bedroom flat are now in the hands of the Government’s Planning Inspectorate, following Hartlepool Borough Council’s refusal to grant permission for the project.
Mr. Thomas Cawley submitted the application to Hartlepool Borough Council in October 2024, proposing to transform the former 21 Northgate Hair and Beauty premises into a residential property. The change, he argued, would bring the disused building back into productive use, making better use of the site whilst aligning with surrounding developments.
However, In April 2025, planning officials at the council rejected the application, stating that the proposal would lead to the “unjustified loss of a commercial unit within a designated local centre, where such uses are said to be 'protected'.” The council concluded that “no evidence had been put forward to outweigh” the importance of maintaining commercial usage in the area.
A planning statement supporting the scheme described the development as an “ideal location” and claimed the residential conversion would have "blended well with the area and surrounding developments." It also argued that the change represented a more efficient use of the building, which had remained empty for some time.
Frustrated by the decision, Mr. Cawley as the applicant has now lodged an appeal with the Government’s Planning Inspectorate, citing inconsistencies in the council’s reasoning. The appeal argues that similar residential conversions exist nearby, making the council's refusal appear 'selective' and 'unreasonable'. Critics of the decision have echoed this sentiment, with some local residents claiming that if the plans were for a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), Hartlepool Borough Council would likely have been approved them without hesitation.
Council Officials simply "not living in the real world" !
The appeal statement seen by the Teesside & Durham Post challenges the council’s position, stating that its reasoning “fails to consider the specific context of the site, the real-world decline in demand for commercial uses in the locality, or the personal and medical circumstances of the applicant.” These factors, the appeal; statement argues, are material considerations under both local and national planning policy and should not have been dismissed.
The appellant also highlights what they describe as “procedural shortcomings” in the council’s handling of the application, particularly during the pre-application stage. The appeal references relevant legislation that supports residential conversions in declining commercial areas, especially where there is no viable alternative use.
Hartlepool Borough Council’s decision-making is likely to come under close scrutiny during the appeal process, where the Planning Inspectorate also holds powers to award costs orders against local councils if it finds that their decisions were fundamentally flawed, inconsistent with planning policy, or procedurally unfair.
Where a council’s actions cause unnecessary expense—such as missed deadlines, poor communication, or providing misleading information—applicants can ask the Planning Inspectorate to cover the applicants reasonable costs of appeal...
As the appeal moves forward, the outcome may not only determine the fate of this particular property but could set a precedent for how Hartlepool Borough Council handles similar applications in the future.
Read our previous report here : April 22 2025
