FAQs
- Works are already taking place on the eastern side of the High Street, outside the former Marks and Spencer and Goodwins site. By mid-September, these works will progress across towards Bath Street.
- The relocation across the entire eastern side of the High Street was necessary in preparation for a smaller area for the Friday market, with these benches being in the way of being able to continue with the full market away from the construction areas, which is essential to the long-term sustainability of the market itself, and, of course, the retail businesses for which market day is the busiest by far.
- As works progress across the eastern side, completed areas of the western side are being gradually released towards Dundas Street, providing additional areas for the market and pedestrians.
If there is an issue whilst the work is on site, who do I contact?
During the daytime, please contact Rediscover Redcar:
Rediscover Redcar (12 West Terrace, Redcar)
Phone 01642 444073
Email rediscover@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk
For any issues out of hours, please contact the Council's CCTV team on 01642 495345.
Will all businesses be open as usual?
All businesses will be open as usual for the duration of the works.
What is happening to the market?
The market is currently located at the ‘blue clock’ end of the High Street.
The market will be gradually relocated back to the eastern side of the pedestrianised high street, as areas are completed. The Council is working very closely with the traders to minimise disruption and ensure the full completement of market stalls are able to trade as usual.
Will I be able to visit all the shops whilst the works are ongoing?
Yes, access will be always be maintained to businesses. Wayfinding signage will be put onto the hoardings to help members of the public find the shops they usually visit.
Will Dundas and Bath Street still be open?
Yes, both streets will remain open throughout the works, and will be used for deliveries to the works, mainly in the early morning.
Will wheelchair users still be able to access the High Street?
Yes, although the hoardings will create some narrower areas in front of shops, the footpath will be wide enough for wheelchair users and access is maintained at all times.
Will the entire pedestrianised part of the High Street be closed off with hoardings whilst the works are ongoing?
No, the works will be phased to ensure the disruption to the High Street is minimised. The areas being worked upon will be safely hoarded with footways available to ensure access to all shops and businesses.
Will parking or public transport be affected?
The use of Queen Street for the market will mean some disabled and general use bays will not be available on Fridays only – however, other public car parks are available within close proximity (Turner Street). Buses will not be affected by the works.
Why doesn't the Council do more to help businesses with rent and rates to support businesses on the High Street?
The Council does not have any control over the setting of rents and business rates on the High Street. Business rates are set centrally by the Government. The Council does not own properties on the High Street, so rents are set by private sector property owners.
Why is Redcar getting investment again, what about the rest of the Borough?
Significant investment is going into the wider Borough, including Guisborough, Eston and Loftus. Please visit YourVoiceMatters to find out more.
The investment in Redcar High Street is part of the Redcar Town Deal funding provided by the Government.
What will happen as each Phase of works is completed?
Hoardings will be removed as each Phase is completed and returned to general use.
Will emergency vehicles be able to access the High Street?
Yes, the contractor will make available access to the High Street for emergency vehicles, including access into the areas being worked on if required.
Will anything be done to improve shopfronts and empty buildings?
The Council has provided £246k of Tees Valley Combined Authority grants for shop fronts, with 14 grants already approved and improvements underway.
Why will the work take so long?
The improvements cover a large area, and the timescales are in line with the programme you would expect for a scheme of this nature. The project includes a significant amount of groundwork to install new drainage, new lighting, paving and events infrastructure. The paving has been designed to ensure that it is robust and remains in place for many years into the future.
Will the hoardings be fixed into the ground?
No, the hoardings are moveable to allow emergency access.
How is the work being funded?
The works are being funded by the Government funded Redcar Town Deal.
Have the plans changed since they were first announced?
The main change is that that the paved areas in front of the shops are not being replaced, just the middle sections of the High Street. The colour palette for the new paved areas will complement the existing paving that is to remain and be repaired. Improvements to Dundas and Bath Street have also been removed due to costs.
Will there be artwork included within the scheme?
Yes, the middle band of blocks will be engraved with a poem to celebrate the history of Redcar. Further details will be released about this soon and how to get involved.
How will the new scheme help events?
New events infrastructure will be installed including power and water points. The improvements will also link into the new events space being created at the family culture and entertainment venue where the former M&S and Goodwins buildings used to be.
Who will be responsible for maintenance?
Maintenance will be the responsibility of the Council. Additional resources have been set aside for additional street cleaning.
Why don't you do anything with the empty shops first?
A modern attractive High Street will encourage more people to use the High Street. This in turn can attract additional shops and further investment. Investing in the High Street increases business confidence and will lead to vacant shops being filled. The Council do not own the shops on the High Street.
What is happening to the existing blocks on the High Street?
The contractor is retaining 15% of blocks to be re-used across the High Street to repair areas of existing paving that are not being replaced (the edges of the High Street).
Retaining all the existing blocks for re-use would not be efficient or economical due to the significant additional cost and time to remove carefully, sort by hand and stack onto pallets, and store. This would increase the cost of the project and delivery timescale, prolonging the disruption. As the blocks are being mainly removed with an excavator, a large portion will be chipped and damaged by this process.
The excavated block pavers are to be taken away by licensed waste carriers for 100% recycling. The pavers are to be crushed and recycled locally for re-use locally as building materials.
Why are the block paving's rotated in certain places?
Where the paving arrangement would require blocks to be cut to less than one third of the original block size, a small number of blocks may be rotated into the second banding line to avoid small cuts. 
Why are new phases being started without the first phases being complete?
As works on the first phase draw to a close, completed areas are being released back for full public use, with the contractor gradually moving onto to other areas roughly equivalent is size to those areas that have been completed.
When will the first phase be complete?
The first phase is on target to be completed by the end of October.
Why do the blocks have rough edges?
The majority of blocks in the new areas are traditional cropped paviours as opposed to the sawn paviours – these rustic-style blocks were chosen to contrast with the retained areas and to provide a mix of modern and traditional styles that reflect the high street architecture.
Why are benches being removed from the areas not being worked on?
The benches on the eastern side of the High Street have already been relocated and can now be found on Bath Street and outside of Boyes store. The early relocation was necessary for several reasons:
Who checks the quality of the works?
Works are inspected weekly and both temporary and permanent surfaces which are to be returned to public use are signed off by the Council’s Highways department and the project manager.
When will the bus stop re-open?
The bus shelter has been reinstated and the areas around it are expected to be completed by the end of September.
Why have trenches been dug along the High Street?
The trenching has been necessary to put in place the new electrical and water distribution which will serve the needs of the high street as a cultural destination for events; and for the market traders, reducing the need for fossil fuel generators.
Will the new scheme have an electricity supply for events?
The refurbished high street and the new events space will have new electricity supplies that will be able to cater for events at ten times the scale of the previous power provision.
Why is there a temporary surface outside the former M&S site, is this costing additional money?
The temporary surface is the binder course which will be topped with decorative tarmac upon completion of the Anchor building and its events space. The reason it is not being completed now is to avoid unnecessary damage to new surfaces by construction traffic, which would cost additional money to repair. The binder course, although temporary solution for pedestrians, is part of the build up and has cost no additional money to complete.
When will the temporary surface be removed?
The temporary surface will not be removed as it is the binder course which will be topped with decorative tarmac upon completion of the Anchor building and its events space.
When will the new streetlights be installed?
New lighting columns will be instated between September and October, but these will not be fully commissioned and operational until the end of October. The Council is looking at temporary solutions to ensure public safety as we move towards the darker nights of Autumn and Winter.