£10m jobs boost back on track

Mar 18 2008 by Karen McLauchlan, Evening Gazette

PLANS for a £10m-plus investment to bring 70 jobs to the heart of a Teesside community are back on track after developers won a four-year battle with a local council.

Businessmen Ian Howlett and Paul Nelson, who own Nunthorpe Nurseries Group, are finally set to press ahead with proposals for a children’s nursery, health centre and nursing home to be created in the centre of Ingleby Barwick.

Nunthorpe Nurseries had outline plans for a children’s nursery and community centre on land north of Blair Avenue accepted by Stockton Council in 2004.

But when they developed the proposals by pioneering an eco-park for the site they were rejected by planners.

After a series of further battles, a final scheme to build a nursery, care home and health centre was also thrown out by the council a year ago.

Mr Howlett and Mr Nelson appealed to the Planning Inspectorate, calling upon the expertise of Blackett Hart and Pratt planning consultants.

Steve Barker, BHP’s head of planning for the Tees Valley based in Darlington, explained: “The final scheme was almost identical to the first in terms of the site, the number of visitors expected and the anticipated traffic. It was a slight change of use and a slightly different layout to the application that had originally been granted permission but otherwise was the same.”

Following the hearing earlier this year, a Government inspector has given the scheme the go-ahead. Nunthorpe Nurseries is now preparing to start work on the health centre, 50-place day nursery and a 75-place care home.

Mr Howlett said: “It’s taken us four years to get to where we are now. Ingleby Barwick is Europe’s biggest housing estate and we believe these facilities will be invaluable to the local community.”