It now has a sign up saying ‘Superb Car Sales’…..and cars for sale on the ‘forecourt’.

Doesn't that require planning permission to do that?
Has the council been informed?
Probably speaks volumes of the kind of characters who own the hotel now.

Good point, never thought of that, mind you the cars have been there for a couple of months.

There are planning rules about consultation with neighbours too.
If I lived in housing next door I would give HBC a phone call and make a complaint.
Maybe its already been done.
If so sure HBC will get right on to it.
Probably within the next five years or so.
Definite.
How long do you think before it goes up in flames?
Accidents do happen.

[quote="waddell"]
How long do you think before it goes up in flames?

when they have two electric milk floats up for sale.

I hope the council play hard ball with the owners. Say no to flats but a flat conversion of the existing building or demolition and 4/5 top quality houses would be ok my me.

Is that in the conservation area?….. because if you’re building on that site the building would have to be appropriate, not the pick of the ‘executive’ residences of the big builders estate catalogue.

If the Council knock the flats back it will end up like the Longscar, another grot spot, look at the Odeon no one wants to touch it because of the frontage.

The Odeon is a different matter and I’d leave it at that.

No different both lying empty apart from the Staincliffe is more pleasing to the eye in its current state, just making comparisons.
The plus sign for any developer at the Staincliffe is there is a huge frontage which could accommodate a few flats, it wouldn’t be feasible or make economic sense to convert the original building into flats.
If a second nuclear power station got the go ahead it could be a great investment as a hotel for the travelling contractors but I can’t see the owners hanging about for that decision to be made.

Could always knock it down and build a ‘Drive-thru’ burger bar, should slot in to the area nicely if tarted up as a Victorian ‘Horse & Carriage-thru’ to meet the Conservation area criteria……best not though.

Auction of the fixtures and fittings if anyone wants a piece of memorabilia, April the 17th at the Staincliffe.

Now if you’ve boarded the place up making it look like a grot spot, Addams Family residence, turned your front car park into a deserted car showroom for very well used cars (going by their plates), ..and now selling off the contents, can we assume they’ve got planning permission for ‘iconic’ apartments (flats).

Built in 1869, I imagine there would some decent salvage, wood, the roof has slates, might be a few old fireplaces as well.

find it all quite sad really losing somewhere like that after all these years. got rid of the longscar eyesore i hated from day 1 and there are other things in the town i,d love to see the back of but not the staincliffe.

Remember a certain building from which we were officially removing equipment one Sunday morning, turned up with a Transit and trailer in tow as it was being handed over to the demolition contractors the next day …when we arrived the two security guards went into panic mode so we cracked on as officially it was our property till midnight.
Got the gear we wanted loaded up but there was some other fittings that would definitely come in useful.
Then the rep from the contractors turned up, no doubt informed by security and we had a nice pile of fixtures and fittings already loaded, we were eyeing up a wooden feature when he joined us. He realised what we were going to do and said it wasn’t worth the bother, so I asked him why…did he want it?
He said definitely not, as they’d just smash it up, so I said no problem then , …..and we took it out. He stormed off and made a pointless complaint the next day that was filed under ‘bollocks ’.

The floorboards the joists and stairways will all be solid wood some even oak, worth a fortune.
I worked in water board pumping stations in the N.E. they were fully automated but still had loads of antiquated fixtures and fittings. One up past Newcastle had old photographs on the wall of the dam being built god knows when judging by the plant they were using, I believe it was constructed from ‘mud’.
All the old pumping stations had large houses for the manager who was looking after them pre automated day, all purchased after privatisation and lived in by people associated with the water board.

I got married in the Staincliffe so it's always been a special place to me. That aside it's completely and utterly bonkers to pull down what should be a listed building, a place that has been part of our great history since 1869. Goes to show these decisions made by OUR elected councillors are made without any consideration at all of what the people of Hartlepool want. Totally corupt in my opinion and probably lined the pockets of filthy corrupt councillors.

I think it's mad too. They should have learnt from Tunstall Court, which was an amazing place that the scumbag owners left to rot.

Tunstall Court was outrageous, my old school for my first two years before being sent to the main site where the police station is, loved it in there.
The scumbag owners were the Council. The new owners wanted to build more aspirational rabbit hutches, ie bland ‘executive’ homes but I suspect there was a problem with cutting down all those tree’s which couldn’t be cut down and made it impractical.
Don’t forget Cameron Hospital, a brilliant Edwardian terracotta pile which would have been brilliant turned into apartments, but no, more bland rabbit hutches were thrown onto the site for the aspiring homeowners.
We’ve really some fools down the years…..political monkey’s who couldn’t run a clockwork train set in a circle without it getting lost.

Been looking at various old buildings around the UK and it appears that any building dated before 1880s is being pulled down in the hundreds WHY ? It does not matter how beautiful they are or what history they have. Its doesn't matter what the people want either they just keep pulling them down or they are mistererly burnt down WOW. A lot of these buildings are in top condition, it's crazy it really is. I also looked at Europe and the Americas and its the same story that's been going on since around 1882.

There was a proposal back in the 80’s to demolish the Wesley and Christ Church to make way for more car parks…sometimes you look at politicians and realise your town is a Ming vase in the hands of an excitable chimp.

really surprises me what buildings have preservation orders on them and which do not. lived in a well refurbed terraced house for years which was far superior than the 70,s new build i was previously in. we had this in the 60,s where everything old was regarded as a slum but only to be replaced by new slums that aged very quickly. still think its all jobs for the boys and mates of mates at the end of the day.

no they,d throw away a ming vase because a new plastic on was available and call it progress.

Crazy thing is these buildings have stood the test of time but the replacements get pulled down within 50 yrs.

or a complete re furb before they reach that age. just looking outside now and somebody has got scaffolding up for a building thats not 14 years old yet. how ofter have we all said that they must have thrown buildings up once the footings have been put in place and you pass em a few months later and they are in use.

That would then become a ‘Minger ‘ vase

Auction was on the other day and over the past couple of days the buyers have been coming and going taking their booty, effectively leaving a mere shell I’d imagine and unviable for anything.
Just waiting for the demolition contractors to turn up now…..?