Hartlepool’s new Highlight Active Hub reached its official opening celebration with a striking number already on the board: 82,235 visits since it began welcoming customers in June.

The multi-million-pound building stands on The Waterfront at Hartlepool marina, replacing the former Mill House Leisure Centre. It brings sport, family activity and some NHS services into one site, rather than treating leisure and healthcare as entirely separate worlds.

What is inside Highlight

The hub has three swimming pools, including a leisure pool with water-play features and a race slide. There is also a 100-station gym, a dedicated spinning studio, fitness rooms and a children’s soft-play area.

A separate suite of rooms is used for NHS clinics through a between Hartlepool Borough Council and University Hospitals Tees. That puts some healthcare appointments in a central community setting alongside facilities intended to help people stay active.

The project was funded by Hartlepool Borough Council, and Sport England. Construction began in January 2024 under principal contractor Wates. GT3 Architects worked with the council’s in-house design team on a building that rises from west to east and looks out across the North Sea.

A waterfront celebration

The free official-opening event on 15 August was planned as more than a formal ribbon cutting. The programme included live music, dance, brass, street theatre, indoor taster sessions and activity on neighbouring Jackson Dock. Paddleboard sessions were arranged through a partnership between Active Hartlepool and On Water.

Sport England’s Lisa Dodd-Mayne said the value of a new building lies in the opportunities it creates for people to be active and part of a community. Hartlepool Council leader Graham Harrison similarly framed Highlight as a long-term investment in health, wellbeing and quality of life.

The early visitor total does not tell us how often each person attended or which facilities they used, but it does show immediate demand. More than 82,000 visits in the first stretch of operation is a strong start for a building expected to serve the town for decades.

Highlight also adds another working destination to Hartlepool’s developing waterfront. Its test now is the everyday one: keep the pools busy, make the health partnership useful and ensure the new landmark feels welcoming to people across the town.

: Visitor numbers, facilities, funding and construction details were checked against Hartlepool Borough Council’s announcement of 10 August 2026. Image: Hartlepool Borough Council.