Two shop units within Middlesbrough’s Cleveland Centre are set to be developed into a health hub, with services being transferred from a nearby shopping arcade.

Middlesbrough Council wants to use the vacant units, previously occupied by Vision Express and George, as replacement premises for its Live Well Centre, which currently operates from the nearby Dundas Centre.

Support offered at the centre includes mental health, addiction recovery, sexual health and the South Tees smoking cessation service.

The planning board of the Middlesbrough Development Corporation will consider the application, which has been recommended for approval, at its next meeting on Wednesday, April 24.

Middlesbrough Council said the relocation could bring employment opportunities and increase footfall while supporting the long term vitality of The Cleveland Centre and the wider town centre.

The proposal was first reported late last year as part of an asset review of council-owned buildings and land, drawn up in a bid to raise an estimated £33m for the local authority. The move would be supported by town centre investment from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Levelling Up Partnerships initiative, which aims to revitalise high streets, healthcare, transport and education, and create more affordable housing.

The hub at the Dundas Centre opened in 2017 after an £800,000 refit of the previously disused space, with grants from Public Health England and the Big Lottery Fund. The lease is due to expire in December this year and a report to the board said the centre was no longer considered fit for purpose.

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Cleveland Police was consulted and the force recommended people accessing the drug and alcohol services were directed into the practice via the Albert Road entrance as opposed to through the Cleveland Centre itself. The report to the board said the council had operated the Live Well Centre in Middlesbrough for some time and its use had not generated “any adverse amenity issues”.

“There is no reason to think that its relocation to this new site should raise any additional concerns and there have been no objections to the proposal,” said the report.