Stockton's Castlegate demolition under way

Demolition of the Castlegate Shopping Centre, car park and Swallow Hotel began on 1 September

The demolition of a hotel and shopping centre to make way for a new riverside park has begun.

The Castlegate Shopping Centre and Swallow Hotel in Stockton are being torn down to create a new plaza linking the High Street to the River Tees.

The centre and hotel opened in 1973 but the latter has been empty since it closed in 2009.

Stockton Council bought the site in 2019 and secured £36.5m to redevelop the five-acre site.

The proposed park on the banks of the River Tees features trees and performance spaces

When approving the plan, Stockton Council said the development would "remove poor quality buildings" and "open up the High Street to the river", thereby improving the views.

The council said the Stockton Waterfront scheme formed "an essential part" of the authority's "regeneration of the town centre.

The demolition work will take 12 months to complete

Shops and businesses from the 1970s centre are being relocated around the town, with B&M moving into the former Marks and Spencer building on the High Street.

The demolition work will take 12 months to complete with the new park to begin next summer and be completed by 2025, the council said.

The shopping centre and hotel opened in 1973

Nigel Cooke, the council's cabinet member for regeneration, said: "We've been talking about this day for a number of years and now it's finally here.

"The demolition will transform the look and feel of the High Street and make the most of our town's riverside setting."