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Plans have been lodged for a 26-space car park in Yarm on “eyesore” land that has been empty for two decades.
A pay and display car park is being proposed on the site of the former Derek Campbell Tyres garage in a bid to “relieve pressure” on High Street parking.
The site, at a "prominent getaway” to the town, has remained largely empty since the former garage at the corner of Bentley Wynd was demolished around 20 years ago.
Concept Social Ltd, acting on behalf of the applicant, has submitted plans to Stockton Borough Council to bring the “long-vacant site into productive use”.
The car park, which would be operated without staff, has been designed to optimise the number of car parking spaces available to both visitors and residents.
The land of the former Derek Campbell's garage on Yarm High Street (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)
Planning documents describe how the facility is based on a simple idea that the car park “should behave like a yard behind the High Street".
Yarm ward councillor Andrew Sherris, who previously called for the land to be developed, said: “This is a prominent site at the gateway to Yarm High Street.
“It needs developing in a sympathetic way that supports both residents and businesses.
"The site has been derelict for many years so this is a step in the right direction.”
Yarm ward councillor John Coulson added: “This application has my full 100 per cent backing.
"A sensible option for the use of this land. I'm sure the public will welcome this".
The land of the former Derek Campbell's garage on Yarm High Street (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)
For years, calls have been made to improve parking in Yarm amid concerns over gridlocked traffic and major congestion on the Yarm crawl.
The town currently has long-stay car parks at Castle Dyke Wynd and The Old Market as well as a 55-space car park off West Street, which opened in 2022.
Issues have been raised again more recently after several new housing developments were proposed for the area, including Taylor Wimpey’s refused bid to build 600 homes off Green Lane, which has just been through a nine-day public inquiry.
The land of the former Derek Campbell's garage on Yarm High Street (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)
The town’s parking provision again came under fire last year when the council was forced to U-turn on its “reckless” decision to scrap an hour of free parking and shelve plans for a High Street revamp that would have removed nine spaces.
Derek Campbell's Exhaust and Tyre Centre began trading in Yarm in 1978 and remained there until the mid-2000s, before relocating to Preston Farm Industrial Estate.
The land was formerly owned by Tall Trees nightclub boss Javed Majid, who is understood to have bought the site around late 1999 and early 2000.
The Northern Echo understands that the land was sold to a new owner several years ago.
Several applications have been lodged over the last 25 years, but none have ever come to fruition, bar the demolition of the garage.
One of the first was for a three-storey wine bar and restaurant in 2000, which sparked backlash from Derek Campbell at the time and never went ahead.
The former Derek Campbell's garage in Yarm (Image: LES HODGE)
Shortly after the garage was closed, plans were approved in 2007 to demolish the building and erect a three-storey block featuring a new bistro and three apartments.
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This new building never came to fruition.
New plans were lodged in 2015 for a 20-bedroom boutique hotel, bar and bistro, but this drew more than 60 objections and was refused initially and again on appeal.
Since then, the site has remained empty, except for a short stint when the Environment Agency temporarily took it on while upgrading the town’s flood gates.