Decking on the Headland

Decking on the Headland comes down to four things: small walled yards, constant salt wind, a conservation area full of listed buildings, and careful access. Here's how each one shapes a deck.

Houses and gardens

Headland & Harbour ward has the highest share of flats of any area on this site. The 2021 Census recorded 38.8% of homes as terraced and 27.3% as purpose-built flats, with 23.2% semi-detached and only 6.9% detached. 40.3% of households own their home, 33.8% rent from a council or housing association and 25.4% rent privately.

The streets are tight-knit: Durham Street, St Helen's Street, Warren Street, Beacon Street, Alliance Street and Montague Street run between terraces, with Marine Drive and Moor Parade along the edge of the sea. St Helen's and St Bega's primary schools, St Mary's and St Hilda's churches, Gibb Square and the Croft Gardens are all close, and the Headland has its own parish council.

A typical back yard here is a few metres square, enclosed by brick walls, often concreted, with a back gate to a lane. Those walls are valuable: they cut the wind at ground level, so a low deck tucked inside them can be surprisingly sheltered. Raised decks, on the other hand, lift you into the wind.

Car ownership is lower here than in most of Hartlepool: 37.3% of households in the ward have no car or van. Many homes have no drive, and on-street parking near the sea front can be busy, so we plan deliveries carefully, often bringing materials down the back lane to the yard gate.

What's underfoot

The British Geological Survey's 1:50,000 map shows till, a stony glacial clay, over Permian dolostone of the Roker Formation. The clay is firm once you dig below the surface, but it drains slowly. Where a yard is already concreted and the slab is sound and falls away from the house, we can build a low frame on adjustable pedestals without breaking it out.

The Environment Agency's Flood Map for Planning shows small areas of Flood Zone 2 and 3 within 300 metres, near the coast and harbour. If your property is close to the water, check your postcode before planning.

Salt is the bigger concern. With sea on three sides, wind-driven spray reaches most of the Headland. We use stainless steel screws, bolts and brackets throughout, leave gaps for air to move through the frame, and choose boards that tolerate salt and strong sun.

Permission

The Headland Conservation Area covers much of the old town; it's one of eight conservation areas in Hartlepool listed on planning.data.gov.uk. Listed buildings close to the centre include the Duke of Cleveland's House at 2 and 3 Albion Terrace (Grade II*), St Mary's Church, the Carnegie Building, Moor House, 27 and 29 Middlegate, 9 to 11 Regent Square, the Sebastopol Gun, the churchyard wall and gate piers at St Hilda's, and Throston Engine House (all Grade II).

The Planning Portal's national rules say a deck is normally permitted development if it's no more than 30cm above the ground and, with other extensions and outbuildings, covers no more than half the garden. In a conservation area, side decks need planning permission. Listed buildings have no permitted development allowance for decking, and flats and maisonettes need planning permission for any deck.

With so many homes rented, it's also worth getting your landlord's written agreement early.

Designs that work here

The most useful deck on the Headland is usually the simplest: a low composite floor across a walled yard, level with the back door, with a removable panel over the drain. A built-in bench along the sunniest wall saves space, and a couple of planters soften the brick. Boards laid towards the gate make the yard look longer.

If you want height to see over the wall, keep it modest and add a solid or slatted screen on the windward side. Our windy gardens guide and balustrades and screens page explain how we anchor them. See also composite decking.

Cost

We price after a visit. Size, height, board, stainless fixings, any concrete removal and access all matter. On the Headland, materials often come through the house or down a back lane, which adds time. Our pricing guide explains what goes into a quote.

Nearby

• Throston: about 4km west.
• Seaton Carew: about 4km south, across the bay.
• West Park: to the south-west.

Every area we cover is on the areas page.

Questions answered about decking on the Headland

Sources: ONS Census 2021 TS044 and TS054, Headland & Harbour ward (Nomis); planning.data.gov.uk: Headland Conservation Area and listed buildings; BGS Geology Viewer 1:50,000; Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning; OpenStreetMap; Planning Portal: decking.