Plans for town centre flats and penthouses

7 hours ago

Stuart Arnold

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The developer said the penthouses would have sea views

LJC Architecture A CGI image of how the building would look. The five storey building has shops on the ground floor and roof terraces on the top floor, as part of the apartments. — The developer said the penthouses would have sea views

Plans to add two storeys to a town centre building could see it turned into an apartment block with penthouses.

Vista Estates wants to develop Craigton House, in West Terrace, Redcar, into a 31-apartment block, including penthouse suites with sea views from rooftop balconies.

The property currently hosts retail businesses on the ground floor with nine flats spread over the first and second floors.

Comments submitted as part of a consultation launched by Redcar and Cleveland Council on the scheme raised concerns about parking, with 17 spaces planned.

The flats would be a mix of one, two and three bedrooms, with up to five of them being affordable, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The current building would have extra storeys added

Google How the current building looks. It is a three-storey building with shops on the ground floor. It is brick built but the the front and side of the upper two floors are clad in contrasting light and dark grey panels. It has a flat roof. — The current building would have extra storeys added

"There is a recognised shortage of housing supply in the Redcar area, particularly for local residents seeking accessible, affordable, and varied accommodation types," the developer said in planning documents.

It added it was aware the proposal fell below the guidelines of 1.5 parking spaces per home, but the site's "highly sustainable location" justified the shortfall.

"Public transport links are very close by, including buses and the local train station and the building is close to town centre amenities," the developer said.

Among the objections, one resident said: "This doesn't provide enough parking for one per unit.

"This area of the town is already overcrowded parking-wise, leading to illegal parking and traffic problems."

Meanwhile a shop owner said the current car park was only intended for loading and unloading, not for permanent parking.

Residents have until 8 August to submit their comments to the council on the plans.

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