Town centre £6.5m 'boost' for shops and health hub

Stockton Council bought the old Debenhams building in October 2023

A £6.5m investment will improve a town centre's shops, support small businesses, and develop a health hub, a local authority has said.

Stockton Council has revealed it is in talks with the NHS about developing a health centre in the former Debenhams store.

But Conservative politicians have accused the Labour-led council of wasting taxpayers' money and spending ''extortionate amounts on derelict buildings".

Labour councillor Richard Eglington, cabinet member for regeneration and housing, said the money would make a "massive difference" to the high street.

The 90,000 sq ft (8,361 sq m) store has been empty since January 2020 when the company went into administration, and there has been limited retail interest in the building.

The new health centre will offer screening and tests and it is hoped it will attract more visitors to the high street, the authority said.

It said the investment would prepare the empty building for development, upgrade council-owned shops and bring the town hall back into use.

Councillor Richard Eglington believes the investment will help small businesses

Eglington said: ''This money will make a massive difference to the high street.

"This will help many small businesses grow.''

The funding boost is part of a wider £36m Waterfront development which will include an urban park.

Richard Drake has owned a book shop in the town for 10 years and said although the regeneration plans may not be a "silver bullet" he welcomed them.

"The status quo was not working so it's good to try and create a buzz to bring new people in," he said.

However, Conservative councillor for Hartburn, Niall Innes, said the authority had ''a bad record of buying up buildings for an extortionate price, only for them to stay derelict and empty".