Multi-million-pound Hartlepool revamp plans get Government approval

The derelict Wesley Chapel in Hartlepool town centre. Picture by FRANK REID

The renovation of the run-down Wesley Chapel into a 36-bedroom boutique hotel and a plan to improve connectivity between the Marina, Seaton Carew and town centre have been approved by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Two new skills academies in town which will see thousands of learners receive training and qualifications in health and social care and construction-related skills have also been given the green light.

The leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, Councillor Shane Moore, hailed the news as “a huge moment” in the town’s history.

The £25 million Hartlepool Town Deal includes a project to improve connections between the town centre and Searon Carew with Hartlepool marina. Picture by FRANK REID

A fifth project for a ‘reimagining’ of Middleton Grange Shopping Centre is awaiting approval.

Cllr Moore said: “This is a huge moment in the history of Hartlepool, and one that we have been eagerly awaiting. It is fantastic news that we are now in a position to start work on these key schemes.

“Hopefully, we will soon also get approval for the fifth and final Town Deal project – the reimagining of Middleton Grange Shopping Centre – and, together, all of these projects will help to completely transform our town centre, whilst also providing state-of-the-art facilities that will enable us to boost the career prospects of local residents.”

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Hartlepool was one of 100 towns in England invited by the Government to develop innovative regeneration plans to access up to £25 million of funding.

The town was awarded the full amount last year, and the Hartlepool Town Deal Board made up of various public, private and voluntary sector representatives submitted business cases to Whitehall chiefs for approval.

A Health and Social Care Skills Academy will be established at the University Hospital of Hartlepool in a partnership between North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and Hartlepool College of Further Education.

And a Civil Engineering Skills Academy, based at sites in Brenda Road and Exeter Street, is set to provide a range of construction, welding and civil engineering qualifications to more than 1,000 students a year in a partnership between Seymour Civil Engineering and the college.

Alby Pattison, chair of Hartlepool Town Deal Board, added: “It makes me very proud to see two and a half years of hard work by the Town Deal Board and the Council come to fruition.”