Vow to help save Hebburn town centre despite high streets across the UK dying

It comes after calls were made from residents at the latest meeting of Hebburn Community Area Forum (CAF) for money to be invested to improve the area’s town centre, known as “Hebburn New Town”.

Concerns were raised by members of the public attending over a lack of funding being put into the area compared to the likes of South Shields town centre.

Councillors noted although the buildings which form Hebburn’s Mountbatten Shopping Centre are privately owned, South Tyneside Council continues to work with businesses to improve the area and to attract visitors.

They added the local authority is pushing on with seeking to provide public realm improvements and securing further funding for such work.

Councillor Angela Lamonte, chair of Hebburn CAF, speaking at the meeting (on Monday, January 6), said: “We work very closely now with the business community, there is good communication there, we get a lot of community events.

“Our shopkeepers are really keen to try and get more people in, it’s something for the future that we’re trying to get funding in, and we’re engaging with everybody.

“We want it to change for the better… and that’s what we’re aiming at.”

She also stressed they are trying to improve the footpath and public realm areas “all the time” and bids have been submitted to gain funding for the area.

Councillor Liz McHugh, Hebburn North ward representative, added regular meetings are in place with representatives from the town’s business community to look at what improvements can be made.

She said: “There’s new benches, new seating going to get fitted in because that seating is not good enough for the residents.

“What we can do at the moment we are doing, but as for the buildings [Mountbatten Shopping Centre] we can’t do anything, they’re not ours.

“But where the footfall is we are trying, we are getting step by step, better and closer, because it is the centre of Hebburn and it should be brilliant.”

However she did note that since Covid-19 “the day of the high street is dying” generally across the country as people are buying more online.

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Councillor Richard Porthouse, vice chair of the CAF, added in meetings with shopkeepers and business owners it has been revealed that footfall in Hebburn has risen and the area has “bucked the trend” seen elsewhere.

Meanwhile Councillor Margaret Meling, cabinet member for economic growth and transport, outlined how the council has recently carried out a “very successful” consultation on what people would like to see in the town.

Titled “Our Hebburn Conversation”, nearly 1,000 responses were received from residents, with feedback including calls for a greater variety of restaurants and an enhanced shopping offer, more activities for young people and families, improved lighting and security, and new social spaces.

The responses will be used by the council to help shape its “vision masterplan” for Hebburn.

Cllr Meling, Monkton ward representative, added: “Hopefully things will begin to move very quickly, footfall in Hebburn has bucked the trend.

“I think that gives us a lot of hope that with a little bit of cosmetic work, we cannot do anything with the actual buildings, but we can make it more attractive to attract even more footfall and then business will come.”

Cllr Lamonte added shop security in Hebburn has also “improved dramatically” since this time last year and there has been “massive inroads with everyone working together to improve that”.