The regeneration is part of a ‘masterplan’ by Redcar and Cleveland Council to improve the seafront and increase the attraction to those in or visiting the area.
The £800,000 project has begun, with a container village hosting the Coastal Activity Hub, which can be used as a meeting place and an informal base for clubs, school groups, activity leaders, families, or groups of friends.
Facilities include a range of indoor and outdoor multi-use spaces, public toilet facilities, showers, lockers, an equipment store, changing facilities and parking – with an accompanying catering facility.
The external space next to the container village will form a flexible event area that could be used for a range of outdoor activities such as exercise classes, sports, and demonstrations. It could also provide space for an event village, from which competitions could start and finish, including running festivals and triathlons.
£855,000 of the budget is being provided by the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority and £25,000 via the Redcar Town Deal.
Darren Winter, chair of Redcar Town Board, said: “The Coastal Activity Hub is fantastic news for Redcar.
“With British Cycling, British Rowing, British Triathlon and community groups already excited at the prospect of bringing new sporting activities and holding competitive sporting events, the Hub will be a unique tourist attraction.”
He said it will “raise the profile of Redcar, make it a destination town for visitors and sportspersons and give visitors another reason to stay in the area longer”.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “It will bring more people into the town, spending in our brilliant local businesses while driving further visitors and giving local people a hub, they’ve been crying out for.”
The Redcar Town Deal is led by a group of industry experts, business leaders, and community representatives, who have volunteered to support the regeneration of Redcar. Alongside the council, they have helped develop large-scale regeneration plans on how to make Redcar a ‘vibrant’ sustainable town’.
Construction will take approximately six months, with a completion date set for November this year. An operator is currently being sought for the hub, which includes two provisionally-licenced food and drink units.
Cllr Lynn Pallister, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth at the Council, said: “This is going to be an amazing attraction for tourists, but it will also be a great place for local sports clubs to meet, which will encourage entertainment and events.
“We’re so pleased work has started, and very soon people will see a huge transformation to the Coatham area, restoring pride in the local community and providing a great place for friends and family to gather and spend time.”
Nigel Hornsby, chairman of Redcar Triathlon Club added: “The development of the activity hub at Majuba makes our sport and club so much more accessible. This facility will open so many doors for enhancing the club offer for members and potential new ones as well as allowing facilities for events that will support the sustainability and growth of the club.
“Our enthusiastic committee and membership look forward to being involved and coordinating future events like go-tri, open water swimming, duathlons and the like from a base specifically designed for that purpose. The hub also provides a safe environment to work from when running activities particularly during the winter months and dark nights. It’s exciting to see what the future opportunities come about by developing relationships out of this hub.”
