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Search the Public Notice PortalPlans to “breathe new life” into a North East shopping centre and carry out improvements to an “iconic” building are set to move forward next year – ahead of construction work taking place in 2027.
The re-imagining Middleton Grange project includes the restoration and refurbishment of the Grade II Listed former Binns building in Hartlepool – most recently home to Wilko on its ground floor – to create a range of flexible spaces.
Work will also include the partial demolition of the north east wing of the shopping centre – which is the area previously home to the likes of Furniture Express, Supercuts and The Entertainer.
Almost all of the units in that section now sit vacant – with only Alice House Hospice currently occupying one of them.
This will allow for the creation of new public realm and open space – which could be used to host outdoor events, according to borough bosses.
A total of £13.8 million has been allocated to the project from the government’s Town Deal.
Darren Hankey, chair of the Hartlepool Town Deal Board said: “It will be a good asset for the people of Hartlepool but it will also be an attraction for people who visit as well.
“The building and that part of Middleton Grange has just been a bit dead, it’s been vacated, and I think this will breathe life back into that part of the town centre.”
Work is currently taking place to appoint a development manager and it is hoped they will be in place early in the new year, with a planning application expected to be submitted around July time.
It is hoped planning permission would be secured in September, with construction starting on site in May 2027 and being completed in December 2027.
The project will be a collaboration between Hartlepool Borough Council, Hartlepool Development Corporation (HDC) and the area’s Town Deal Board.
Beverley Bearne, HDC chief operating officer, explained the work will bring the Binns building “back to a shell” and enable future users to come forward.
She said they are “not necessarily focusing on one specific end use at the moment” but it could be “anything from bars and restaurants, cafes to shops and offices.”
She added: “The ability for us to bring the Binns building back into use so people can come and revisit some of their happy memories and also to safeguard a key heritage building is a real joy for us.
“We’ll be creating some new public realm, so it will hopefully help to create a sense of arrival as you’re coming into the town on the A689, really showcasing the Binns building in its glory.”
Visible progress will start to be seen next year, with images around the outside of the building to showcase project branding and CGIs of what it could look like.
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Cllr Pamela Hargreaves, council leader, said the work will see the building “brought back to its former glory” and “breathe new life” into Middleton Grange Shopping Centre – bringing with it more investment and jobs.
She added: “It’s such an iconic building right in the middle of the town centre.
“I think when we start work on this, what that will do is just lift everybody and restore that hope and give people a sense of the momentum that’s happening in the town.”
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