Plan for 'place of worship' for former pub site where residents held protest

The Magnet in Grangetown
-Credit: (Image: Teesside Live/WhatsApp)


Plans have been lodged to convert a derelict former pub in Grangetown into a "place of worship".

An application has been submitted to Redcar and Cleveland Council proposing a change of use for the now derelict Magnet pub, in Birchington Avenue, Grangetown. Few details have been provided on the council's planning portal to accompany the proposal, but it is understood to be for a Hindu place of worship and community centre.

A public consultation arranged by the local authority ends on Friday, April 12.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands an informal meeting took place with the applicant on Monday to establish the approach being taken with the plans.

Last month on Facebook, Grangetown ward councillor Adam Brook said steps would be taken to ensure any objections are heard and that the matter went in front of the council’s planning committee. A protest at the weekend attracted dozens of residents. Cleveland Police stated they had provided a “proportionate response” with the gathering passing off without incident.

The Magnet was sold at auction in 2022 to a private buyer for the sum of £75,000 and had been marketed with permission to be turned into flats. It once hosted early gigs by Teesside comic Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown.

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