Precinct to be knocked down as part of 20m plan
LDRSProposals to demolish a shopping precinct and build new homes and business facilties, as part of a £20m town centre redevelopment plan, have been approved.
Evolve Estates applied for permission to pull down West Precinct, the Kingsway West multi-storey car park and buildings on Queensway in Billingham, to make way for new development.
The redeveloped area will eventually include 160 new homes, new commercial space, as well as improved urban infrastructure and dedicated public spaces.
In its planning statement, Evolve said the demolition of "largely vacant, tired and dated buildings" would pave the way for a "more attractive, modern and fit-for-purpose" town centre in Billingham.
LDRSStockton Council planning committee was told the application was the first phase of a masterplan, drawn up after the authority received £20m in Levelling Up funding from the government in November 2023.
The funding was subsequently confirmed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the Autumn budget in 2024
The proposed new development also includes a ground-floor car park with 182 spaces, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The Li Wah Chinese restaurant, Astronaut pub and Billingham Boxing Club are set to be moved under the proposals.
Speaking at the planning meeting, Labour councillor Norma Stephenson said: "The residents of Billingham have waited long enough for this - let's get on with it."
Fellow Labour councillor Barry Woodhouse concurred: "Let's get it agreed and get the bulldozers in."
But Conservative councillor Lynn Hall called the plans "a bit hotch-potch".
"The detail is so lacking, I feel. We're just giving a carte blanche to get on with it, and I'm not convinced the consultation has been as solid as it, perhaps, should have been."
The committee voted to approve the plans with conditions.
The next phase is expected to focus on the 160 new homes, with a planning application to follow later this year.