New plans unveiled to bulldoze and transform site of derelict Hartlepool cinema

Hartlepool’s Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) Board will next week look at approving a new masterplan to help “accelerate the regeneration” of the town.

Led by Conservative Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, the MDC covers the Oakesway Business Park, retail and leisure land – including Mill House Leisure Centre and Middleton Grange Shopping Centre – along with public areas and civic buildings.

Titled Supercharging Development in Hartlepool, the masterplan outlines short, medium and long term hopes for regeneration in various different areas across the town for the next five years and beyond.

Key projects highlighted in the Raby Road area include developing a new “community park” on the site of the derelict former Odeon cinema.

The 1930s Grade II Listed building closed as a cinema in 1981 and after subsequent uses, including as a night club and bar, it has remained unused since around the turn of the century.

The park would feature “community projects, meeting spaces, educational activities and green spaces”, according to the masterplan.

The document also includes provisional plans for the nearby Mill House Leisure Centre site to be redeveloped to “incorporate mixed use development and community spaces”.

An improved crossing for the A179 is also earmarked to “improve connections” for pedestrians between Hartlepool United Football Club and the Marina.

All three projects are listed as “medium” term, which means they would take place between three and five years.

The masterplan lists redevelopments around Middleton Grange, establishing a “creative industries cluster” around Church Street plus Marina connectivity and public realm improvements as key focus areas.

Elsewhere, the document earmarks an “urban village” for land around Trincomalee Wharf, connecting the railway station to the Marina and providing new homes, employment opportunities and public parks.

Reports from officers outline how the vision, developed with stakeholders and partners, is underpinned by four core principles to drive Hartlepool Development Corporation’s role in transforming the town.

These are making a vibrant town centre, attracting 2,000 new and quality jobs, renewing Hartlepool’s waterfront and building up to 1,300 new homes.

A total of £10million has been committed to the corporation from Tees Valley Combined Authority, with work ongoing with partners to secure further project funding.