Hartlepool United club chairman Raj Singh and Hartlepool Borough Council’s top leaders have signed a memorandum of understanding over developing Victoria Park and it's surrounding areas. 

The aim of the project is for the football club to provide a hub at the heart of the local community, providing a range of sport, education, health, business and event activities as well as hosting Hartlepool United matches. 

The long-term project will include regenrating the town's Mill House area after the leisure centre was domolished and build a multi-million pound centre on the waterfront marina site.

Hartlepool United are one game away from the Football League which will go a long way to securing the financial stability of the football club but Singh is looking at ways to further sustain their finances by redeveloping the grounds and creating a sustainable business model.

The Chairman first mentioned the club were in consultation with the council over the project in a wide ranging interview on BBC Radio Tees Sport back in March. 

The memorandum of understanding means that both club and council will provide a joint effort to come up with the stragetic plans of regenerating the sites and source the financing from external sources.

Singh said: “We are delighted to be signing this Memorandum of Understanding to work together with the Council. It represents a small but important milestone.

“Lee Rust has been working with the Club over the past year as Executive Adviser and he has played an important role in helping us to arrive at this Memorandum.

“Working together, I hope that we will ultimately have the opportunity to create something special which can benefit the whole town.”

Lee Rust said: “The Club has for many years talked about its aspiration to improve the stadium.

“We are very excited about the potential for the Victoria Park and Mill House sites and we are looking forward to working with the Council.

“We hope to not only be able to create a first-class facility for football but also a multi-purpose site that is commercially viable and sits at the heart of local community activity.”

Councillor Shane Moore, Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “Hartlepool United Football Club is an important and much-loved part of life for so many people in Hartlepool.

“We are looking forward to working with the Club to help it become a dynamic force for the future, providing a wide range of benefits and opportunities across the whole of the community and secure in the longer term.”