Bowling, mini golf, and climbing walls: Demolition work to make way for Redcar entertainment venue

Demolition work will begin on Teesside later this month to make way for an exciting new venue.

The former Marks and Spencer and the adjacent Goodwins building in Redcar town centre will be pulled down with work starting on Monday, May 20. This will be followed by the construction of a new venue for family-friendly entertainment.

Teesside Live previously reported the venue has been slated to contain the likes of tenpin bowling, mini golf, laser tag and climbing walls. The demolition follows several months of internal works including the safe removal of asbestos, the roof and internal work.

• READ MORE: Couple left guinea pigs in hot glass pen beside rotting fruit and cats riddled with fleas

• READ MORE: 'Large quantity of cocaine', ANPR cameras and CCTV: Four teens arrested after motorcycle theft

To allow the work on the external frontages of both buildings to be carried out safely, a temporary closure of one lane of the Esplanade will be in place between May 20 and May 24.

Once the demolition of the frontages is complete, the temporary lane closure will be removed and the demolition of the remainder of the buildings will then continue. The footpath on the Esplanade alongside the frontage of the buildings will remain closed while this is completed.

A detailed computer-generated film, which shows how the demolition will happen, is available to watch here. This work has been scheduled to take place ahead of the school half-term holiday and the Redcar Kite Festival on Redcar seafront.

Businesses have been briefed on the works and temporary signage will promote them while the demolition is taking place. The family-friendly entertainment venue is among projects developed by the Redcar Town Deal board following consultation with the public.

The board is made up of industry experts, business leaders, the local MP and Redcar and Cleveland Council representatives.

Catherine Clennett, chair of the Redcar Town Deal board, said: “The new family-friendly venue will be transformational for the high street and will significantly increase the number of residents and visitors using the town centre.

“The project is central to the plans to redevelop Redcar through the Town Deal funding and a great deal of preparation work has been completed so we can now watch the development become a reality.

“There will be a managed amount of disruption during the first stage of demolition but great care has been taken to keep this to a minimum and to schedule it prior to the bank holiday weekend and school holiday.”