Second Hartlepool Property Set for Conversion Into Children’s Home, Plans Submitted to Hartlepool Borough Council..
- teessidetoday
- May 14
- 3 min read
Plans for a Second Town Centre Property to be converted into a childrens home go into Hartlepool Borough Council.
14th May 2025
A second family home in Hartlepool is now being proposed for conversion into a managed children's home, following a fresh planning application submitted to Hartlepool Borough Council.
This latest development comes just days after HBC EXPOSED reported on plans to convert a property on Brenda Road into a similar facility. At the time, details about the Brenda Road home were limited and shrouded in some uncertainty. However, a source has now tipped us off about a second application—this time involving a property on Stirling Street, located in the Oxford Road area of the town.
According to the planning documents seen by HBC Exposed, the property at 30 Stirling Street, Hartlepool, TS25 5AL subject to approval by the local council could become a small-scale children’s home for a maximum of two children aged 11 to 18. The proposal outlines a clear operational model designed to replicate a “family-style, homely environment,” rather than a high-risk or institutional setting.
What Will Life Look Like Inside the Home?
The Management Plan submitted alongside the application paints a detailed picture of how the home will function on a daily basis, with it being claimed that only two children will live at the property at any one time, with care tailored towards those with mild to moderate emotional and behavioural needs. However the applicants have stated that the home will not be intended to be a specialist home for high-risk youths. The home will be staffed with 2–3 care workers during the day, and 2 staff on-site overnight, in accordance with OFSTED requirements. At peak times (such as mornings and evenings), additional staff may be present to support the children's routines, with day shifts will running from 8am–8pm, and overnight shifts from 8pm–8am, with management staff working standard weekday office hours.
This scheduling & management of the home is said to be designed to minimise traffic disruption in the area, where Family visits will also be scheduled in advance and limited to two people at a time, strictly between 10am and 8pm.
The operator of the home Ziche Ltd is said to be making a concerted effort to assure local residents that the home will operate safely and with minimal disruption, with Key fob access & a curfew system in place, however the location of the children's home in an already 'high crime' area is likely to be a significant stumbling block to overcome when the plans are eventually looked at in depth by either council panning officers or local councillors if more than four objections to the plans goes forward....
Is This the Start of a Trend?
With two children’s homes now either planned or in the pipeline within a short time frame—Brenda Road and now Stirling Street—many will be asking whether Hartlepool is being quietly earmarked as a preferred location for these types of private care facilities.
Whilst some residents may welcome the idea of supporting vulnerable young people within the community, others are likely to raise concerns about the transparency, the cumulative impact on neighbourhoods, and whether Hartlepool Borough Council is adequately scrutinising such developments to assess whether they're being created in the right locations..
The plans are currently available to view on the councils planning portal under reference H/2025/0142, where a decision on the plans could be made as early as July 2025....
External link..
© Durham & Teesside Today. Unauthorised use, or reproduction, of the material contained within this article, without permission from the author, is strictly prohibited. Extracts from, and links to, the article may be used, provided full credit is given to Durham & Today, Hartlepool Today, Cleveland Police Exposed or Hartlepool Borough Council Exposed (Our Affiliated Pages) & where permission by Durham & Teesside Today is Granted, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
