Wynyard Business Park owner flexes to retail

A Sainsbury’s supermarket, 45,000 sq ft of trade counter space and two drive-thru units are proposed for Northumberland Estates’ business park north of Stockton-on-Tees.

In plans that go before Stockton Council’s planning committee on 6 March, Northumberland Estates wants to deliver retail space on land at the south-east corner of Wynyard Busines Park.

Whittam Cox is the architect for the project, and Lichfields the planner. Border Design Consultants, transport planner Milestone, Sine Consluting, BSG Ecology and Robinson Landscape Design are also on the professional team, along with Wardell Arnstrong.

The proposals reflect a partial change from the uses mapped out in the adopted local plan, which are for general employment, with the park described as a high quality strategic inward investment location for offices, manufacturing and logistics.

Officers note that while the plans represent a change from commercial-led development, the applicant has sought to demonstrate that the development would not undermine the local plan, and that the uses developed would not impinge on any town centres.

No objection has been raised by any statutory consultee or member of the public. Approval is recommended.

In plans that cover 37b acres, 421 parking spaces would be provided. The supermarket would have an overall size of 48,000 sq ft, and a trading area of 30,000 sq ft.

Wynyard is an area neighbouring Wynyard Hall, and lies around six miles north of Stockton town centre, and seven mile south-west of Hartlepool. Wynyard Business Park as it stands is mostly made up of large distribution buildings.

Lichfields’ planning statement said that “Northumberland Estates are in advanced discussions with a number of operators, with a view to them occupying the proposed drive-through units (which are intended to be occupied by coffee-shop and bakery), they are unable to identify these operators at this stage.

“However, they are likely to be those which are not currently present on the north western side of Stockton and/or require additional representation in the area. Given their drive-through format, they are likely to complement – and not directly compete with – the majority of existing facilities within defined town and district centres elsewhere in the Borough.”

The proposals can be viewed on Stockton’s planning portal with the reference 22/1387/FUL.