SHUTDOWN TO ALLOW FOR COMPLETION OF 'ICONIC' STOCKTON WATERFRONT URBAN PARK

RIVERSIDE Road in Stockton will stay closed until spring to allow work on an “iconic” and “transformational” urban park to be finished.

- By GARETH LIGHTFOOT

It has been two years since construction work began on the Stockton Waterfront development. Stockton Council says the urban park, a new public space for residents and visitors with play areas and flexible spaces” for hosting events, food and street trading, is set to be completed in the spring.

In May this year, the council announced Riverside Road would close until the end of the year after Waterfront development was hit by “unforeseen technical difficulties” with cabling.

Leaders said the closure of the road, which had been reduced to two lanes, was the best way of keeping the flagship project on budget and on track, but Conservative Stockton MP Matt Vickers has criticised the council for its “brass neck”.

Now the authority says keeping the road closed until the work on the urban park is completed allows the contractor to complete essential work in a more efficient way across the large, complex site without having to accommodate a live carriageway.

Workers have already built a 55m land bridge structure which will let people walk uninterrupted from the High Street to the riverside, connecting the town centre with the River Tees once again. An amphitheatre is being built at the moment, with the installation of 402 granite steps creating a large, curved seating terrace focusing on a performance space on the riverside.