A CONTROVERSIAL abattoir could be demolished and turned into housing following an agreement between a council and a private developer.

The £3million halal slaughterhouse at Boosbeck, east Cleveland, opened on the site of a previous abattoir in 2013 and villagers upset about associated smells and noise launched a number of legal challenges to have it closed.

Now Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has made an agreement with a property developer, Hesland Green, which could finally end the problem.

Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Tom Blenkinsop welcomed the development.

He said: “This news lifts a cloud that has hung over the village for far too long. The quicker the bulldozers are in on the site, the better for everyone. This issue has taken too long to resolve but the patient hard work of residents and the council has brought this saga to a successful end.”

The council has been working with the developer and has agreed to sell Hesland Green some of its own land to the rear of the site on condition that the abattoir is demolished. Other conditions will prevent an abattoir being rebuilt and reopened on the land in the future.

A council spokesman stressed that the developer’s plans are at an early stage and final proposals for the land will be the subject of an application for planning permission. The developer is to consult with villagers.

Councillor Sue Jeffrey, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council , said: “This is at the early stages in the process but we are hopeful that a long-term solution is in sight.”

The abattoir operators, BHM, went into administration in June, but villagers feared the slaughterhouse would simply reopen under new ownership.