From Foodbank to Fine Wine: Tower Street Property Could Become Hartlepool’s Newest Nightspot...
- teessidetoday
- Jul 9
- 3 min read
Plans Submitted to the Hartlepool Development Corporation could see the building re-developed on the ground floor to a trendy wine bar.
9th July 2025
A planning application has landed at the Hartlepool Development Corporation (HDC) that could see a property on Tower Street transformed into a stylish new wine bar – a significant shift for a building reportedly last used as a community shop and foodbank.
The proposals, submitted by National Cable Installations Ltd, would lead to the conversion of the currently vacant ground floor of 10a Tower Street (classified under Class E) into a Sui Generis wine bar, whilst maintaining mixed commercial use on the first floor, where a tattoo studio already operates with permission granted by Hartlepool Borough Council.
The building reportedly sits in a prominent part of Hartlepool’s Innovation & Skills Quarter and the Church Street Conservation Area, meaning the plans must adhere to strict heritage and design rules.
What’s Changing?
Whilst there are reportedly no structural extensions planned, the owners are proposing to repaint the exterior to bring it more in line with the area’s heritage character. The red window frames would become charcoal grey, and the building’s render would also change colour.
A traditional projecting sign will be added, along with a hand-painted nameplate – although the name of the bar is yet to be decided.
The project lead named on the application is Jake Haygarth, acting on behalf of National Cable Installations Ltd.
Importantly, its claimed this isn’t a blind application. The developer reportedly received supportive pre-application advice from the Hartlepool Development Corporation under reference IRMDC/2025/0032, and planning officers are already reported to have offered encouraging words:
"We have no in-principle concerns about changing the use of 10A Tower Street to a Sui Generis wine bar and tattoo studio and would invite you to submit a planning application for formal consideration," they said.
The building’s last known use – as a foodbank and community shop – speaks volumes about the state of Hartlepool in recent years. With that facility now closed, some may question whether the shift to a private licensed premises marks a further gentrification of Church Street and its surrounds.
However, others might welcome the transformation as part of wider efforts to revitalise a long-neglected area. As locals will know, the Church Street Conservation Area has been the subject of various regeneration promises, many of which have so far yielded little beyond cosmetic facelifts.
If approved, the new wine bar would be among the latest entrants in a wave of licensed premises and boutique-style businesses targeting the “young professional” crowd – despite the town’s persistent economic struggles and dwindling evening economy, however the number of licensed premises being granted approval in the area has raised some concerns from members of the local community, especially in the wake of a serious assault at a Hartlepool Bar just a short distance away from the proposed application area.
A Sign of Changing Times?
This application may be relatively modest in scale – but it taps into larger conversations about the future of Hartlepool’s town centre. As the foodbanks are replaced by wine bars and tattoo studios, critics of the plans will be likely asking the question: who is all this regeneration really for?
