Demolition to begin in £10m precinct revamp
Redcar and Cleveland CouncilDemolition work is to begin in the next phase of a £10m shopping and leisure precinct.
A demolition notice has been issued to transform Eston Precinct, near Redcar, from 5 May, with work expected to be finished by spring 2026.
Redcar and Cleveland Council said most of the shops earmarked to come down have been vacated, with the rest expected to be empty by the end of March.
Eston ward councillor David Taylor said there was a "list" of interested retailers in the project, although none had formally been signed up yet by the local authority.
The £9.9m scheme is being paid for with government levelling up funds and a contribution from the Tees Valley Combined Authority.
The planned precinct will have seven or eight new units, along with 100 car parking spaces, the Local Democracy Reporting News Service said.
Taylor said there were a few businesses "waiting to find suitable alternative premises" before the demolition, which is being undertaken by the company Esh.
'Long time coming'
A cabinet report in 2023 said the ambition was to "transform" Eston and prevent the "continued decline of a deprived and neglected area" by attracting new retailers, shoppers and leisure users.
He has previously said the regeneration scheme had been a "long time coming".
A previous £6m retail scheme for the square and precinct area was shelved in 2021 with some remaining retailers complaining they had been left in limbo.