A ROW has broken out between leading councillors and a trust over the redevelopment of an historic Hartlepool building.

The Morison Memorial Hall on the Headland is being converted into eight flats by the Hartlepool New Deal for Communities (NDC) Trust.

However, the NDC has asked Hartlepool Borough Council to waive £48,000 in developer contributions, which has been criticised by leader of the council Stephen Akers-Belcher.

The NDC don't want to pay the money to improve the area's green infrastructure, play and sports facilities, which were part of the plan passed by the council's planning committee in December 2013.

However, the request was unanimously rejected by the planning committee, despite a planning officer recommendation to the contrary.

Cllr Akers-Belcher was reported as saying he was worried the council was being "manipulated."

Malcolm Walker, chairman of Hartlepool NDC Trust, said the Trust accepted the committee's decision but said that money would have gone towards providing more training opportunities for ten extra unemployed people as part of the development.