Work starts on Scarborough Street as Hartlepool screen village moves forward

Work has started on Scarborough Street as Hartlepool moves into a visible new phase of its £18.5 million Screen Industries Production Village.

The street is being rebuilt with granite paving, wider footpaths and heritage-style lighting. Hartlepool Borough Council says alterations at the junction with Exeter Street will also allow businesses to hold outdoor events using temporary road closures while keeping access for deliveries and parking.

The public-realm work is due to finish before Christmas 2026. Resurfacing outside Hartlepool railway station is expected to follow, although the council has not published a separate start date for that part of the programme.

A working street as well as a route into the village

Scarborough Street sits between the railway station and the Church Street area where the production village is taking shape. The changes are intended to make walking through the area easier and create a street that can support day-to-day businesses as well as occasional events.

The council’s announcement describes the work as part of the production village rather than a standalone street scheme. Its detailed project page says the wider programme will provide flexible spaces for post-production, offices and support services, alongside 2,750 square metres of commercial and workshop space for screen businesses and suppliers.

A photograph from 2014 shows the existing terrace on Scarborough Street before the current works. It is included here as a location record, not as an image of the construction or its finished design.

Historic buildings are next in the programme

Further work is scheduled nearby. Early restoration of the former Shades Hotel on Church Street is due to start in November. The Grade II listed building is planned as a gateway to the production village.

Restoration of The Vaults pub and properties at 21 to 25 Whitby Street is expected to begin in January 2027. Full work on The Shades and neighbouring properties at 10 to 14 Church Street is also scheduled to start that month.

The council says the production village will build on Northern Studios in Lynn Street and The BIS creative-business centre in Whitby Street. Delivery partners are the Northern School of Art, Tees Valley Combined Authority and North East Screen.

What the figures mean

Hartlepool’s project page records a £16.5 million government grant through what is now called the Local Regeneration Fund. The council’s latest announcement puts the overall production-village programme at £18.5 million and says it is due to open in January 2028.

The detailed page forecasts 131 permanent full-time-equivalent jobs and £6 million of skills retained locally. Those are programme targets, not jobs already created. It also explains that the public funding was awarded specifically for regeneration, infrastructure and cultural or heritage assets.

Earlier partner material used different totals and timetables when describing the production village alongside the separate expansion of Northern Studios. The latest council release is therefore the clearest source for the current £18.5 million figure and January 2028 opening date. It does not state the cost of the Scarborough Street work alone, identify the contractor or set out temporary access arrangements during construction.

For residents and businesses, the next confirmed milestones are completion of Scarborough Street before Christmas, the start of early work at The Shades in November and the larger restoration programme from January.