Council promises to listen over Yarm High Street revamp

New pedestrian zones, seating areas, and greenery were set for Yarm High Street last year but backlash saw the works thrown out days before they were due to get underway.

Residents and businesses slammed the proposals as being “too modern” and “like Teesside Park” – with one saying it would be “like working on the Costa Brava”. 

Stockton Borough Council was forced to U-turn on the £2.35million regeneration scheme last year, and a recent consultation found 86 per cent of people did not want the changes. 

A range of alternatives on what to do with the funding is now being considered.

The council said earlier this month that options included retaining this for the high street or the Yarm and Eaglescliffe area, reallocating some or all of the funding to new or existing projects in the borough, or reallocating the council element of the funding into reserves.

But Stockton West MP Matt Vickers slammed the idea – saying he was “utterly disgusted” that the council was considering plans to “steal the money” and use it elsewhere. 

How Yarm High Street was set to look (Image: STOCKTON COUNCIL)

He argued: “Stockton’s Labour Council catastrophically failed to engage with and properly consult the local community. 

“They should not be using that as an excuse to take away investment from Yarm and Eaglescliffe who contribute a fortune in council tax and get very little for it.

“Stockton’s Labour Council must listen to residents, engage with the community, and keep this money for what it was intended for.”

Matt Vickers (Image: Matt Vickers)

However, council leader Lisa Evans said she would “not make political pawns of the people of Yarm” and that no money had been “robbed”. 

She said: “The money will stay in Yarm, and we will listen to the people of Yarm, and we will do what is right for the people of Yarm.”

The council cabinet is now considering what to do with the cash, most of which came from a £20m levelling up pot from the previous government.

Only £450,000 may remain to spend on improvements from a £4.6m budget of government and council funding for Yarm. 

It has been suggested the council spends £1.9m paying off borrowing for Preston Park and filling a finance gap, but leaders said funding should stay in the Yarm and Eaglescliffe area.

null (Image: STOCKTON COUNCIL)

Residents made suggestions including a bypass, ring road, footbridge, subway, park and ride, improved parking, toilets and car park signs, adding disabled and parent and child spaces, repairing paving, potholes and seating. 

Some £2.25m of the £4.6m budget has already been spent or committed, with Yarm Town Hall developed into a heritage centre, new public toilets at Yarm Library, resurfacing and repairs to True Lovers’ Walk and upgrades to Snaith’s Field playground.

Of the remaining £2.35m, Cllr Richard Eglington, cabinet member for regeneration and housing, recommended £950,000 of council money be returned to general funds to reduce a £6.7m budget gap.

He added: “Personally I feel the Levelling Up Fund should stay within the area it was aimed for.” 

Councillor Richard Eglington

He suggested some of this £1.4m be used to pay off £950,000 borrowing for improvements to Preston Park in Eaglescliffe, which were also part of the levelling up funding.

This leaves about £450,000. 

Cllr Eglington suggested officers look at proposals from residents, businesses, councillors and Stockton West MP Matt Vickers, and bring a “short list of achievable and realistic options”, including replacing two unsafe fishing pontoons, and look at the feasibility of larger-scale ideas.

“We should then ask the residents which ones of those schemes they wish to take forward”, he said.

“I want to be guided by the residents of Yarm.”