OFFICIALS are struggling to give away money designed to give an area of a town centre a facelift.

Hartlepool Borough Council originally earmarked £200,000 for the refurbishment of vacant business properties in York Road, Hartlepool.

But less than £100,000 was spent and the grant scheme had to be extended until next year.

Regeneration officers have since found more property owners to take advantage of the Targeted Vacant Buildings Grant Scheme, but there is still more than £40,000 in the pot.

The money was allocated to improve the look of York Road, particularly the area between Park Road and Victoria Road, in the town centre.

The area has been blighted by derelict buildings, including a number of private houses. The Titan House office block, empty and targeted by vandals for 20 years, has recently been turned into flats, but the Odeon, a listed building, is still empty.

But Councillor Peter Ingham said that a tenancy agreement scheme, which partly encouraged landlords to improve the look of their properties, the refurbishment of Titan House and the vacant buildings scheme were beginning to have a real impact.

He said: "Yes, there have been times when the area has looked a bit rundown, but it is on the up. We no longer have so many problem tenants and there are whole areas that are vastly improved.

"It's a shame the Odeon is at a standstill. It does look a bit grim at the minute and I'm told there is now a rat problem. However, we're hoping there'll be progress in the coming months."

For the vacant buildings scheme, businesses must find 40 per cent of the cost of any improvement work, but can receive a grant of up to £15,000. So far, two projects have been completed on empty properties at 109 and 117 York Road. Since the work, two businesses have opened shops in the area.

A further five buildings in the York Road and Southern Business Park areas have been granted money, but work has not started yet.

Officers have managed to find a further four projects, but £41,848 is still on the table to improve the area.

Damien Wilson, assistant director at the department of regeneration and neighbourhoods, said: "Work is ongoing to identify premises that would benefit from the receipt of a grant to bring premises back into use and have a positive impact on the surrounding area, providing a catalyst for further investment."