A debate will be launched next year on what the future should hold for a Tyneside town.
The plan has emerged as Jarrow MP Kate Osborne joined South Tyneside Council leaders and officers in a walkabout of Hebburn town centre. It follows a letter by the MP to council leader Tracey Dixon and chief executive Joanathan Tew expressing concerns about the “run down” appearance of the town’s Mountbatten shopping centre.
Ms Osborne said the walkabout involving council leader Tracey Dixon and lead member for neighbourhoods Coun Ernest Gibson would “directly relay the concerns raised by constituents.”
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The council said that there were plans for a “Hebburn conversation” next year. ”This will be a consultation with the public, seeking their views and ideas for the future regeneration and development of the town. Feedback received will help inform a subsequent masterplan,” said a spokesperson.
Ms Osborne said: “Whilst I am aware that the shopping centre is privately owned, the council hold the responsibility for the upkeep of the cleanliness of the centre, as well as any anti-social behaviour.
“Constituents have raised with myself and my team the level of anti-social behaviour that does take place, particularly on an evening – as well as the overall cleanliness of the area.”
In her letter to the council leader, Ms Osborne said: ”Hebburn is one of the main towns in my constituency and many people visit the town centre to shop or attend leisure facilities. I have had chats with residents about their fond memories they have growing up in Hebburn. However, one thing they nearly all express is their disappointment at how run down the town centre, in particular the Mountbatten shopping centre, has become.”
These concerns included the number of vacant properties in the shopping centre; paths, bins and seats needing a deep clean; empty units becoming an attraction for anti-social behaviour; and vacant properties requiring cleaning and and decorating.
A council spokesperson said that although the Mountbatten Centre is not owned by the council, officers have regular meetings with the managing agents as well as carrying out inspections and speaking to businesses.
The spokesman added: “There are several vacant units in the centre, as seen in retail locations up and down the country. We will be engaging with the owners of these units in the new year, with a view to asking them to improve their exteriors.
“The town centre area is cleaned daily, and we are exploring measures for further deep cleaning of the footways and street furniture in the spring. We have provided monthly food markets in the town centre which have improved footfall and overall spend in local shops.
“We have submitted a £20m bid to tranche 2 of the Levelling Up Fund, which if successful, would see a series of green interventions in Hebburn town centre to boost footfall and vibrancy, including new public green space, sports pitches and a new glazed canopy over the open-air shopping experience, enabling greater outdoor seating and new opportunities for our local food and cultural events. “
The council said that, if the bid was successful, there would also be significant development of the town centre Fountains Park, which occupies the site of the former Hebburn Newton School, and there would be an extension to the innovative Hebburn Renewable Energy Network, which has investigated extracting heat from old mineworkings.
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