Two North East companies have been appointed for the demolition of the Castlegate Shopping Centre and Swallow Hotel and its redevelopment to create Stockton Waterfront.

MGL Demolition has been appointed for the demolition of the Castlegate Shopping Centre site, with Esh Construction appointed for the design and construction of Stockton Waterfront, including an urban park, riverside plaza and land bridge structure that will connect the High Street to the River Tees.

This follows planning approval last year for Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s ambitious plans to transform the Town Centre, tackle its empty shops and encourage new uses.

The first stage of the £36million, three-year project will begin on Monday 23 May, with enabling works and a strip out taking place before the main demolition works begin in late July.

The demolition will take around 12 months to complete, before construction begins in summer 2023.

Between now and then, the detailed design of the site will be underway. Part of this will involve revisiting some elements of the existing concept design and the public will have the opportunity to have input into this process.

Mark Davison, Joint Chief Executive of MGL Group, said: “We are extremely proud to be appointed. Importantly, the local population will benefit in a variety of ways, from community engagement initiatives and local business involvement in the project, as well as being able to enjoy a fantastic new environment in the town.”

Esh Construction’s civil engineering division will develop the design concept over the coming months in preparation for breaking ground on site.

Steven Garrigan, Esh’s Divisional Director, said: “This is a significant contract award for Esh as we continue our organic growth across the region. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Stockton Council to help them bring to fruition the future vision”

Once complete, Stockton Waterfront will be home to new community facilities on the southern end of the site including a new leisure centre, library and customer service centre.

Councillor Nigel Cooke, Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration at Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, said: “If you want to achieve big things you have to deliver big projects and we’re working with the best to deliver something that’s bold, different and is really transformational.”