HOUSING
Home is where
the heart is
PICS: DOUG MOODY
Peter Hall of HH
Properties explains why
regenerating Teesside is
what makes him tick
E
ntrepreneur Peter Hall is passionate
about Teesside. A former boxer
who represented his country, he
was brought up on a tough council
estate and has had his share of ups and
downs over the years.
Life was certainly not easy for the young
Peter and he was left to fend for himself
much of the time. As he grew up he was
determined to make something of himself,
and by 18 he had saved enough to buy his
first house, working 14 hour days, seven days
a week, buying and selling cars.
Fast forward two decades and Peter is now
a self-made property developer who oversees
HH Properties – a company created with the
express aim of investing in and rejuvenating
the areas where he was born and grew up.
Having survived a recent brush with
cancer, Peter is all the more fired up about
his aim to help restore Middlesbrough to its
former glory, give jobs to local people as well
as provide homes for those most in need,
such as those with disabilities or in assisted
housing.
Wanting to give back to an area that
gave him little support in the past seems
unusual, but Peter believes that pride in your
surroundings goes a long way to having
pride in yourself.
He also has plans in the pipeline to help
young people into employment and to give
them more opportunities with the building
of a community centre featuring exciting
new educational resources.
But that’s a little way in the future. First
up, there is the completion of three major
projects which HH Properties have in
various stages of development. Both the
Springfield and the Junction public houses in
Middlesbrough are ripe for development.
Peter’s idea is to turn both pubs into high-
Peter Hall
Peter with Mr Buckle of the
Acklam Steelworks Club
end student accommodation with a high-
spec student bar, cutting edge broadband
and facilities for disabled students.
Work is due to commence in late spring,
with the Junction hopefully gaining
permission and following suit in the near
future. Talks are currently in progress with
Middlesbrough Council and, as with all HH
Properties developments, it will be carefully
ascertained just which services the area
needs.
The derelict area of the former Acklam
Steelworks is Peter’s biggest project to date.
In dire need of regeneration, there are
exciting plans to breathe new life into an area
that’s suffered years of neglect.
There will be a new and improved club
house built, comprising a new function room
and modern facilities. Remaining disused
and derelict land will be converted into a
mixture of two, three and four-bed houses
which will aim to tackle the housing shortage
in the area as well as raising the profile for
existing residents.
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