Calls to scrap planned new leisure centre at Hartlepool's waterfront and build landmark venue instead met with damp reception

Darab Rezai, chairman of Hartlepool Licensees Association, claimed an ‘iconic multi-purpose building’ should be built at the former Jackson’s Landing site, instead of the proposed new leisure centre.

Speaking to the finance and policy committee, he said a building offering the potential to host exhibitions, concerts, sports events and more, would provide greater benefits to businesses in the town and attract more visitors.

However Cllr Shane Moore, Hartlepool Borough Council leader, said the council needs to replace Mill House Leisure Centre, and a public consultation highlighted the Waterfront site as the best available.

He also noted the new facility would not be a ‘bog-standard’ leisure centre but would be an attraction, bringing in visitors from outside of Hartlepool.

Mr Rezai, who said he had the support of numerous businesses in the town, argued providing a ‘multi-purpose iconic’ building at the site would bring more employment to the area and aid Covid-19 recovery.

He said: “We think the town needs something to improve the day time and the night time economy and we believe the best location for that, the prime location would be Jackson’s Landing.

“The town coming out of Covid-19 is going to be absolutely desperate, the retail businesses are finished, hospitality is going through a brain haemorrhage, and we think that relocating the leisure centre is not going to bring any prosperity to the area.

“It would be the best location of the town, the jewel of the crown, and it’s going to be a leisure centre, where people go in the leisure centre, and come out straight home, and it doesn’t really benefit anyone.”

Cllr Moore responded stating Hartlepool is in ‘desperate need’ of a replacement for Mill House Leisure Centre to ensure residents have access to the best facilities possible in the town.

He added the leisure centre will be funded from a combination of grant funding from the Tees Valley Combined Authority and prudential borrowing, agreed in January 2020, while reiterating it will not lead to increased costs for council tax payers.

Cllr Moore said: “We are working very hard to ensure that the new facility attracts many more visitors to generate more income.

“Our ambition is to make sure that we provide a facility that will attract people from outside coming into Hartlepool, it won’t be a bog standard leisure facility, it will offer much more than any other leisure facility in the local area does.”

References were made to how sites such as Haven Point in South Shields attract visitors from out of town, which the Hartlepool facility aims to do.

Cllr Moore also said providing the leisure centre at another site in the town would cost more money, while the land at the Waterfront has stood unused for years.

He said: “In relation to the former Jackson’s Landing site, we had an iconic building on there that had commercial units in there that could have been used for multi-purpose.

“It sat empty for over 10 years, and in the end was pulled down, and nobody did anything about it.

“The current plan for it provides a state of the art new leisure facility for the people of Hartlepool, and the children of Hartlepool, for generations moving forward, but it also does so in a cost efficient way.”

Cllr Moore added the council also has plans to invest in the town’s iconic buildings, including the Borough Hall and the Town Hall Theatre, to attract people to the area.

He added plans are also in place for an expansion of the National Museum of the Royal Navy which will attract people from ‘across the country’.

Mr Rezai had argued more money would be generated for the town through various avenues by having a multi-purpose venue at the Waterfront site.

He said: “We are trying our hardest to bring people into Hartlepool, having an iconic building which is going to hold exhibitions, concerts, sports tournaments, multi-purpose, can have at least minimum 10 units inside.

“You can raise hundreds of thousands of pounds by advertising inside and outside that building, but does anybody want to advertise in a leisure centre?

“We believe if you put an iconic building, multi-purpose, it’s going to bring thousands of people every week to the town, and it would improve the economy of the town, it would create all the jobs.”

Other councillors also pointed out how an extensive public consultation has already been held on the leisure centre plans, with the full appraisal and proposals approved in January 2020.

Cllr Leisa Smith said: “Why wait until now, when the foot is already in the door, to come up and totally disagree with what we want to do?

“The leisure centre as it is, is falling apart, it’s costing us thousands to keep afloat, there’s tiles that are falling off the floor, the sauna facility is unable to be used, to be able to revamp that would cost far more than it would to start a new facility.”

Cllr John Tennant added a state of the art leisure centre helps provide facilities ‘badly needed’ in the town and also promotes healthy living.

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