Ambitious plan to make Hartlepool a better place to work and live in next three years

Priorities include the launch of a new tourist marketing campaign this summer to promote the town and establishing the National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool as a world class visitor attraction within the next two years.

Other key points of the Council Plan 2017/18 to 2019/20, include completing Church Street and Church Square improvements, the regeneration of Seaton Carew front, and completion of regeneration of the waterfront including a landmark visitor attraction plus hotel and leisure facilities.

A key part of the plan centres on growing the town’s economy and promoting Hartlepool as a place to live, work and invest.

One area is to mount a new Destination Hartlepool tourist promotion campaign by August this year.

It was given the blessing of councillors on the Finance and Policy Committee.

Hartlepool council chief executive Gill Alexander said: “What we’ve been at pains to do with this plan is produce a three-year plan not just a one-year plan.

“A plan which will deliver on significant change in the town in terms of growing our economy and regenerating the physical environment of the town, and promoting Hartlepool as a fantastic place to live.

“The plan has a significant focus on the key deliverables which is the real work we will deliver over a period of time making sure this isn’t a plan which is ambitious without being focused on delivering resources and key projects.”

The plan includes 45 ambitions under a range of priority headings each with a target date to be achieved by.

The new Destination Hartlepool tourist promotion campaign includes installing new artwork at the railway station, banners along Stockton Street and a summer events programme featuring two key events.

Another ambition is to launch the new business centre in the former Post Office building in Whitby Street as a “new world class” workspace for creative industries. It is set to open next March.

Hartlepool is also to be promoted as a location for TV and film-making by summer 2018.

Regeneration of Seaton Carew seafront is due to be complete by 2018.

Work on the first phase of a water play area, beach huts, landscaping and leisure facilities and improvements to the coach park are due to start this July.

Finance committee member and Seaton Councillor Paul Thompson said he was concerned the development was due to start at the height of the summer season and suggested moving it back to September.

The work is dependent on the council securing £600,000 funding from the Coastal Communities Fund.

A master plan for the Mill House and Raby Road area with proposals for developing new sport and leisure facilities is also featured in the plan and is due to be in place by 2019/20.

The council says the plan has been shaped by the public’s responses during the Your Say, Our Future exercise.

It states: “It is clear that there is an appetite from the residents of Hartlepool to be involved in helping shape council services but also in helping shape the future of the borough through their own actions.

“In order to understand whether we are on track to achieve our strategic priorities we will monitor progress against a set of milestones that we have identified for each of our key deliverables.”

The plan goes to Full Council for consideration on Thursday, March 16.