THE heritage of Hartlepool's Headland is to be brought back to life with a £1m National Lottery grant.

The money, from the Heritage Lottery Fund, will be used to restore and repair historic buildings and architecture in the borough.

The bid for the money was submitted earlier in the year, by conservation staff at Hartlepool Borough Council.

Councillor Jon Coward said yesterday: "This is tremendous news for the Headland, which is an area steeped in history.

"It will complement the excellent work being done using Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) funds."

In the summer, the Government awarded Hartlepool council £8m from the SRB to attract new investment.

The Lottery money will be used to restore empty buildings which have previously played an important role in the Headland's history.

Architectural features, such as traditional railings outside homes, will be restored.

Although the Headland community can be traced back hundreds of years, to the establishment of the Anglo-Saxon abbey in the seventh Century, it has recently suffered from a lack of investment.

The community has also been battling with unemployment, which is more than double the national average.

The final approval of the grant is expected to be made after a detailed submission of plans by the council.

Buildings which could benefit from the Lottery funding are:

l The Grade II-listed Friarage Manor House - the remains of a manor house on the site of a 17th Century monastic building. This could be turned into a Christian heritage centre.

l Carnegie Building - a Grade II-listed structure built in 1903 by the Carnegie Trust and previously used as a library. This could become a media centre.

l St Andrew's Church - another listed building used previously by the community.

l Morison Hall - a 19th Century former Methodist chapel, part of which is now used by the Boys Brigade.

l Work is likely to include restoring the Headland's streets to their former glory by paving with traditional stone and removing Tarmac and modern concrete street furniture