Middleton Grange is the main shopping centre in Hartlepool, and had recently been approved for a major scale regeneration project planning to install roof repairs and increased accessibility. The plan was originally proposed last year before being set in motion this year to go to work immediately. It is predicted to cost £1.4 million over the course of 10 years and open up the centre to more than just retail. 

In August 2023, some initial drafts of the plans were released to the public, who were encouraged to have a say and share their views in the hopes of encouraging locals to help make the centre suited to themselves. The final plan didn't end up being approved until November 2023, and couldn't go ahead until after December when the Hartlepool development corporation negotiated to buy long term lease of the centre. Finally, in February of this year the plan was unanimously given the go ahead.

Regeneration of the centre comes after years of frustration after the town centre's shops were shutting down, such as the H&M in 2023. Now the plan is to redesign Middleton Grange and reanimate it to improve the experience for both retailers and shoppers, increasing the vacancy rates and increasing footfall and spending. This is all part of an extended masterplan for the town that also intends to reshape the waterfront and create new housing.

For the people of Hartlepool, the project brings great hope. Hartlepool resident Lydia Armstrong believes that "it's a wonderful thing to see action being taken in the face of recent decline, there really is a lot of potential here and it would be a shame to waste it. It makes our lives a lot easier because it will mean we don't have to go elsewhere to go shopping, and it feels a lot nicer to spend money in the town. Overall it just feels like it will be a good thing."

Hopes are high for the future of this scheme and the Middleton Grange centre.