An urban park is part of the wider plan. Credit: via North Tees & Hartlepool Trust

Health facility lined up for Castlegate site

30 May 2023 12:57 Neil Tague Comments (0)

Plans have been lodged to create the Tees Valley Diagnostic Centre at the former shopping centre plot in Stockton-on-Tees town centre.

The sire, to be run jointly by the North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals Trust, would include facilities for MRI, CT and ultrasound scans, along with cardiology, x-ray and blood tests.

According to the trusts, a building contractor has already been appointed and final designs agreed on. Plans have been filed but not yet validated on the local authority’s planning portal.

The project forms part of the Stockton Waterfront masterplan area, sitting at the southern end of the former Castlegate centre, which the council acquired in 2019 along with the adjacent Swallow Hotel, to trigger the regeneration project.

Outline plans by architect Ryder for the demolition of the shopping centre, car park and hotel and their replacement by a park and events space came forward in 2021, with a flexible application for buildings included in that application.

Future High Streets Fund support of £16.5m was secured in 2021 for the 13-7-acre site.

Phil Woolfall, clinical director for radiology at the North Tees trust, said of the TVDC project: “The planning application submitted this week is the result of the excellent partnership working we have had with Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council to progress the development of the site.

“Along with all organisations involved, they have been instrumental in helping with the delivery of the centre.”

David Reaich, deputy chief medical officer at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Other key developments have been achieved over recent weeks – including agreeing the layout and designs of this state-of-the-art centre and ensuring it fits modern environmental standards such as achieving a BREEAM Excellent standard, operating with net zero carbon emissions and using modern methods of construction.

“This will not only be a centre to help diagnose and catch issues like cancer more quickly – but it will do so while offering sustainability and longevity to our community.”