WORK is under way to revitalise a row of shops on Hartlepool's Headland.

The improvements are being made to the Brunswick shops at Northgate/Durham Street as part of the overall regeneration of the area.

All 11 shops are being spruced up, with the majority receiving new entrance doorways to allow easier access security improvements, new signs and improvements to the frontages including coloured rendered facades.

Alterations will also be made to the entrances to the flats in between the shops - the recessed doorways will be removed.

A key element of the scheme involves the relocation of the neighbourhood services office and baby clinic from their existing location in Frederic Street.

Two of the Brunswick shop units will be modified internally to accommodate these new uses.

The shops facelift is part of the north Hartlepool Single Regeneration Budget Partnership's strategy to revitalise the Headland and its image.

The shops are situated on a key entrance route to the Headland, and to complement these improvements, the partnership is looking at options for improving the general environment around the shops, including the forecourt area.

Consultation on this is expected to take place in the summer.

The scheme, which is jointly funded by the North Hartlepool Partnership and Hartlepool Borough Council, is costing £250,000. The work on the shops is expected to take about 12 weeks