The new Hartlepool quango are reported to taking over the Shopping Centre, I wonder if that includes the Car Parks, it is a good earner for the Council.

https://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/p ... re-4419405

honestly thought the council had this anyways ...

its such a shame - the high rents have always been a massive factor in keeping business away so i was told.

Wilko vacant store would be a great indoor market space or something the town could benefit from. No more phone or pound shops please ! or charity shops too ill add to that !

H&M old store too - far too many of the larger units in there sitting vacant. Hope the council have a good plan for the place and will see larger brands and shops back in there. Really wish M&S would get their asses back into the town too not just the food shop.

places like middleton grange are a thing of the past. pick most towns of a similar size at random and they are full of empty units or at this time of the year pop up ones selling christmas crap. the bigger stores are not around anymore or are cutting back on them. The isea of the wilco store use is a good one if the rents were really rock bottom though.

The wife managed a shop for a national chain in there and the rents were higher than the Metro Centre…..look at the number of national brands that have left, with charity shops and the like taking over..,the whole place wants a radical rethink and new priorities.

There is an indoor market which has very few stalls occupied now, the old Wilko store building has huge potential, the upper floors are empty, there was talk of them being converted to flats but it never materialised. The old Coop building was converted into flats although there is talk it was done on the cheap with the soundproofing kept to a minimum.

thought the present indoor market was more or less shut last time i had a look with only the traders at the top end still there and the rest roped off.

The Granger market in Newcastle was something i was more a kin too. I should of been more specific.

Yes our current market has fallen to the supermarkets unfortunately.

but something so close to the colleges in the ilk of the granger market i think may work.

but yeh we really need the rents to be cut and attract more shops that dont just sell tat or charity shops

The problem with Middleton Grange is access and the parking charges, it can be a nightmare driving through Hartlepool instead just go to Tees Bay Retail Park with decent access and free parking.

Solution!

Get lynstreet back up and running.

They were fools to do it, but when those Councillor’s ego’s get the better of them prepare to be disappointed…and we were.
Lynn Street with the numerous pubs converted to bars’ restaurants) and side streets all pedestrianised would be perfect, with new developments behind the existing Lynn Street with access from the many side streets. There was tons of land down south of Lynn street after the terraced streets were demolished.

thought the same at the time but the council had to follow every other town at the time for those concrete shopping centres in the age of modernity without thought.

First time we went into Middleton Grange proper was before a Pool’s match.
Four of us all sixteen bought a sarnie in Piccadilly bar shaped like a small baguette….we sat down on one of those circular white bench things but we’d only sat down and realised there was a big void above us so the seats got wet every time it rained … plus we were all looking over each others shoulders to talk….that’s the trouble with a circular bench….

first time i went into it i thought even at the time this is shit. i,ve brought numerous girl friends and wives up to the town and they all had one thing in common, the dislike of middleton grange being the downside to the town and that included a shit game at the vic.

You know how to impress a girl!

It needs to be levelled - and regenerate what was Lynn Street, bottom end of church street. That was all before my time but got to be better than what we've currently got.

Build a new hospital on the shopping centre - good location easily accessible from the 689. It won't be too far to take anybody who is pissed up and a bit worse for wear either!

i blame pools and the middleton grange on my poor record in that department.