Hartlepool Borough Council has set out 32 projects for the second year of a £1.5 million programme, with £750,000 due to be spent on parks, neighbourhood shopping areas, public safety and other improvements across every council .
The work is backed by the Government’s Pride in Place Impact Fund. The council says the latest will support a mix of town-wide schemes and smaller changes at specific sites, from new signs in the town centre to repairs in two of Hartlepool’s best-known parks.
Parks and public spaces
At Rossmere Park, the programme includes an accessible public toilet and new edging stones around the lake. Ward Jackson Park is due to receive replacement lake edging stones and new shutters for the bandstand. A survey will also examine the park’s historic fountain and whether it can be brought back into use.
Elsewhere, coastal railings at Seaton Carew are set to be replaced. Summerhill Country Park is in line for additional CCTV, while three mobile CCTV cameras will be bought for use across the borough. The council has not yet published a location-by-location timetable for these works.
Changes in neighbourhoods and the town centre
Business areas are included too. The package covers shopfront grants, improvements to shopping parades and new wayfinding signs in the town centre. These measures are intended to make local centres easier to navigate and improve the appearance of everyday shopping streets.
Four streets are named for parking work: Truro Drive, Kirriemuir Grove, Salcombe Drive and Dumfries Road. Grass verges at those locations are planned to be converted into hardstanding parking areas. The announcement does not specify how many spaces will be created or when construction will start.
A two-day Christmas Winter Wonderland is also planned outside Highlight Active Hub in December, including a skating rink. Exact dates, opening times and booking details were not included in the announcement, so families should wait for the council’s event information before making plans.
How the funding works
The £750,000 is Hartlepool’s second annual share of a two-year £1.5 million allocation. Government guidance says the Pride in Place Impact Fund is providing up to £150 million for 95 places in total, with each area receiving up to £1.5 million across 2025/26 and 2026/27. The money is capital funding, which means it is intended for assets and physical improvements rather than day-to-day services.
Nationally, the fund is aimed at three broad goals: improving community spaces, improving public spaces and helping high streets and town centres. Hartlepool’s list touches all three, combining work in parks and shopping areas with practical neighbourhood projects.
The council has also linked this programme to the wider work of the Hartlepool Board, which it says will oversee up to £20 million of investment during the next decade. That longer-term figure is separate from the two-year £1.5 million allocation announced for these projects.
What happens next
The council has confirmed the places and types of work in the programme, but not a budget or delivery date for each of the 32 projects. The next useful detail for residents will be a schedule showing when individual sites will be surveyed, designed or taken into construction. Until then, the announcement is a clear statement of intent rather than confirmation that every scheme is ready to begin.