Concerns over auditorium's reopening date

The main auditorium at Hartlepool Borough Hall was closed earlier this year

A community fears a town hall's main auditorium, which was closed for health and safety reasons, may take years to reopen.

Part of Hartlepool Borough Hall was shut in September following an inspection as part of its redevelopment. It is not known how long improvement works will take.

Hartlepool Folk Festival was forced to relocate to Durham, and nearby businesses including the Fisherman's Arms pub said they were worried about the impact of the closure.

Pamela Hargreaves, Labour leader of Hartlepool Borough council, which owns the building, said: "We are working hard to complete inspection work to fully understand the scale of the issue and to inform plans to rectify the problems identified."

She said while the main auditorium remained closed, the rest of the building including the Constables Bar, the wedding suite in the Middlegate Room and Headland Library continued to operate.

"We are as disappointed as our residents that we have had to close the main auditorium to ensure public safety at the borough hall," said Hargreaves.

"We love the contribution that Hartlepool Folk Festival makes to the creative offer within the borough and the positive financial benefit that it has on the businesses on the Headland, who we know would love to see it return to the events calendar next year."

'Lost business'

A spokesperson for Hartlepool Folk Festival said the team was "terribly saddened" at the closure.

"We feel for the council, as it seems inevitable that the structural issues will take a long time and a lot of funding to resolve," they said.

"The borough hall is an important cultural asset for our town, with an incredible history dating back to the headland's historic fishing industry.

"We've already lost so much of Hartlepool's built heritage and we really hope it can be brought back to full use soon."

Scott Gaiety, Headland Parish Council chairman, said he did not think the hall would reopen within the next couple of years.

"It's an amazing venue, when I was younger large gigs and boxing events were held there," he said. "It's just been left and forgotten

"I can't see it reopening in the next couple of years."

Glenn Murphy, landlord of the Fisherman's Arms, said the closure had cost him business.

"The folk festival moving to Durham means we have lost business," he said.

"The hall was closed in 2024 for health and safety and then open for a year and now it is closed again - it needs investment for repairs."