Hartlepool planning authority completes shopping centre takeover
A local planning authority has completed the takeover of a Hartlepool shopping centre.
Hartlepool Development Corporation (HDC) has acquired the long lease for Middleton Grange Shopping Centre, which is located in the heart of the town’s Development Corporation Zone.
The local council will retain the freehold of the site, with the HDC board appointing asset and property managers to oversee the scheme on its behalf.
Under the authority’s current plans, the scheme’s public spaces would be regenerated, new store frontages would be installed, and the centre will opened up to allow uses beyond retail.
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen, chair of the HDC board, said: “Middleton Grange is a hugely important part of our plans to transform Hartlepool town centre and the completion of this agreement is a vital step in this process.
“We can now get on with the job of transforming the centre to make it a thriving location for the brilliant local businesses already based there, while attracting new stores to the town.
“This deal also unlocks major redevelopment opportunities that can deliver a reinvigorated town centre that people want to spend time in – supporting jobs, boosting the economy and making our region an even better place to live.”