The former Lakes Service Station site on Roseberry Road (pictured above) has become a real eyesore. We had been expecting work to start any time on the provision of elderly persons accommodation. That was the position when the Lib Dem led Coalition left office in May last year.
With the new financial year underway and no sign of work commencing on the site we raised the issue at the last Wednesday's meeting of the Redcar Area Committee and were promised an update. This we have now received as follows:
The Council owns the land and has granted BP a long lease of the land. Lakes Service Station closed and the Council began negotiations for a surrender of the lease.
In anticipation of the site becoming available, it was originally considered as part of a range of sites offered for extra care development. However, the extra care providers were not too keen due to the size of this site and it was later looked at by the Tees Valley Housing Group for housing for the over 55's. This scheme successfully attracted Housing Corporation Funding.
Some remediation works were carried out by the tenant, but eventually the negotiations broke down. The Council could not compel the tenant to proceed with the surrender of the lease and therefore the site was not available for re-development as the lease remains in place.
This prompted Tees Valley Housing Group to approach the Housing Corporation requesting that the funding be switched to a site at Church Lane, Eston which will deliver general needs housing linked to the Housing Market Renewal activity in Greater Eston. The Housing Corporation confirmed funding for the Church Lane scheme in March this year.
BP has since offered the lease for sale at Auction. The lease did not sell. Redcar & Cleveland Council are still in discussions with the tenant and are trying to establish whether a surrender can be achieved.
With the new financial year underway and no sign of work commencing on the site we raised the issue at the last Wednesday's meeting of the Redcar Area Committee and were promised an update. This we have now received as follows:
The Council owns the land and has granted BP a long lease of the land. Lakes Service Station closed and the Council began negotiations for a surrender of the lease.
In anticipation of the site becoming available, it was originally considered as part of a range of sites offered for extra care development. However, the extra care providers were not too keen due to the size of this site and it was later looked at by the Tees Valley Housing Group for housing for the over 55's. This scheme successfully attracted Housing Corporation Funding.
Some remediation works were carried out by the tenant, but eventually the negotiations broke down. The Council could not compel the tenant to proceed with the surrender of the lease and therefore the site was not available for re-development as the lease remains in place.
This prompted Tees Valley Housing Group to approach the Housing Corporation requesting that the funding be switched to a site at Church Lane, Eston which will deliver general needs housing linked to the Housing Market Renewal activity in Greater Eston. The Housing Corporation confirmed funding for the Church Lane scheme in March this year.
BP has since offered the lease for sale at Auction. The lease did not sell. Redcar & Cleveland Council are still in discussions with the tenant and are trying to establish whether a surrender can be achieved.