FAQs

The Samuel Plimsol Blue Plaque which was affixed to the former Marks & Spencer’s building has been safely removed and stored. The plaque will be relocated to either the new event space located on the High Street or the new Culture and Leisure Anchor Attraction building.

A series of detailed site investigations was completed in advance of the demolition works. This included structural surveys and opening up sections of the building to investigate the condition of the surrounding walls.

Despite this extensive survey work, there were large areas of the structures that were either inaccessible or not visible until demolition was completed. Due to the scale of the site and the nature of how the buildings were constructed, it was not possible to have known in advance the nature and scope of the additional work that would be required. This is the usual situation in similar construction sites.

Once the former M&S and Goodwins buildings were removed, the condition of the surrounding walls and structures could be fully investigated and assessed. This additional survey work, which was always planned, identified several issues that needed to be addressed.  

The survey work has revealed that large sections of the neighbouring walls are in a poor a condition and require stabilisation and weatherproofing improvements. 

Therefore the surroundings walls will need a significant amount of additional work to bring them up to the required standard, including structural steelwork and propping, cladding, re-pointing, brick repairs and re-building sections of wall. Legal processes and agreements with surrounding owners have to be finalised before this remedial work can commence. 

All of this additional work must be undertaken before the main construction work begins.

Although there may not be a great deal of visible activity on site, work is currently continuing in behind the scenes in order to enable the next phase of works to commence.

This ongoing work includes design work, planning submissions, ordering of steelwork and other building materials, building control applications and the conclusion of legal processes such as the Party Wall process. Earlier instigation of these legal processes (including the Party Wall process) was not possible before the buildings were demolished due to their requirement for detailed planning and designs as the basis for the agreements. Engagement with neighbouring property owners has been ongoing since the beginning of the project, including about Party Wall matters.

Work is planned to restart in the new year subject to all the necessary planning, building control and legal agreements being in place. Further updates will be issued on this webpage.

Large amounts of asbestos were identified in the building and this had to be carefully removed by specialist contractors. It took a considerable amount of time to complete this procedure before the demolition work could start. As with all construction projects, the Culture and Leisure Anchor Attraction has been affected by the significant levels of inflation which have impacted the project budget. This has required cost savings and redesign to allow the project to be delivered within the budget.

The funding for the project is still available and the current pause in works will not impact the construction and opening of the Anchor Attraction. 

The project will improve the Redcar High Street and the Esplanade by giving people a new reason to visit these areas through creating new family entertainment facilities. The additional visitors this attracts will help to support existing local businesses and jobs in the area.