Castlegate and Swallow Hotel demolition another step closer with partial closure of shopping centre's carpark

As part of bold Council plans to transform the Borough's six town centres, the Castlegate Shopping Centre, multi-storey carpark and the Swallow Hotel are to be demolished to make way for Stockton Waterfront, an urban park in the heart of the town centre.

Ahead of the demolition beginning in late Spring, the Tower Street entrance to the shopping centre's multi-storey carpark is set to close on Sunday 27 March in order to complete pre-demolition surveys.

The remainder of the centre's rooftop carpark will continue to stay open. Shoppers and other users will be able access the carpark through the Riverside Road entrance via the spiral ramp.

The changes come ahead of works to create the Stockton Waterfront development, which will cover an area three times the size of Trafalgar Square and include flexible spaces, performance spaces, public realm improvements with direct access to the River Tees.

Other aspects of the masterplan include an exciting combination of health and leisure in the town centre, with a new library, customer service centre, register office and new leisure centre at the southern end of the High Street.

Nigel Cooke, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing at Stockton "This year is an exciting year as we begin the demolition of the Castlegate Shopping Centre and Swallow Hotel to make way for our new fantastic waterfront development.

"In order for this to begin, a number of pre-demolition works need to take place, which will result in the early closure of part of Castlegate's carpark.

"This is the next step in the transformation of Stockton town centre which is about to undergo pivotal changes in order to make it fit for the future in the changing face of retail."

The Castlegate Shopping Centre rooftop carpark will remain open during the centre opening times of 8am to 6pm between Monday and Saturday and between 10am and 4pm on a Sunday.