Abandoned Chester-le-Street site to be granted million pound transformation

Multi-million pound plans to redevelop a longstanding vacant site on the edge of Chester-le-Street’s town centre have been revealed.

Developer, Imopro SA is seeking to develop the site at Pelton Fell Road, Chester-le-Street, for retail operator B&M.

It has appointed the Newcastle office of national planning and development consultancy Lichfields to take forward the plans. The development team is said to be holding a public consultation event later this month.

The development - to be located to the west of the existing Tesco supermarket and the railway viaduct - would include a new B&M Home Store of 1,858 sq m floorspace.

It will also feature 67 parking spaces, hard and soft landscaping, and separate accesses from Pelton Fell Road for customer and service vehicles.

Daniel Gregg, senior planner at Lichfields, said: “This is an excellent opportunity to develop this vacant eyesore site on the edge of the town centre.

“B&M has an existing store on Front Street in Chester-le-Street, but this can only accommodate a limited selection of their product range, whereas the proposed new store would contain a broader range of goods including DIY/home improvement, household and other bulky goods.

“This scheme will enhance the choice of retail facilities available to residents of Chester le Street and help to reduce the need to travel elsewhere in the region.”

It could create up to 40 full and part-time job opportunities for local people.

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