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Search the Public Notice Portal The verdict is in on the progress made against Middlesbrough’s eyesore hit-list and the results are… mixed. Back in 2020, under a previous council administration, the local authority produced an 11-strong list of sites which were deemed to be blights on the landscape, so much so that council chiefs were considering buying and rejuvenating them.
The sites stretch from Marton to Linthorpe to Middlehaven, but were predominantly located in East Middlesbrough. A council spokesperson explained that today, all of the sites are in third party ownership. There has been varying levels of success at getting the sites brought back into use.
Below is the latest on the 11 eyesores, along with a bonus location, thanks to the council wrongly listing it as one of the blight sites six years ago.
1. Newcastle House in Ingram Road is one of the success stories, with a Premier store now operating in place of the former boozer, opening back in 2024. Asked for a 2026 update, a Middlesbrough Council spokesperson said planning enforcement have an active case to resolve breaches of planning legislation/consent and may progress to serving an enforcement notice.
2. The former Wee Willie pub, located in Park End is the polar opposite of its East Middlesbrough counterpart above. The Evesham Road land that used to house the watering hole is now home to a lot of greenery, with the panels that boards off the site in a sorry state.
The pub suffered a blaze back in 2009, by which point there had already been a campaign to knock it down from a local councillor. It was reported in 2023 that the site would see a housing development of five two-bed homes and three one-bed bungalows, also with “associated works and access road” built, but previous attempts to deliver affordable housing schemes upon the site have proven unsuccessful.
3. The former Ship Inn, located in Stockton Street, is thought to be the town’s oldest pub, first licensed in 1831. It has stood derelict since it was hit by a fire in 2012, with the Middlehaven establishment’s upper floors being torn down in 2018. The ground floor frontage of the building is still on show, and encapsulates the term “eyesore” better than most. The site remains undeveloped.
4. 56 Cargo Fleet Lane, which sits on the corner of Bournemouth Avenue, used to be a petrol station. Last autumn, councillors retrospectively hosed down plans for it to be turned into a car wash – a neighbour had branded the site “noisy”.
A council spokesman said the site remains undeveloped but has been secured, adding that the use ceased after planning permission was refused and there is an outstanding enforcement notice which has not been fully complied with. Additionally, the property has been made “safe” following surfacing work and erection of permanent boundary enclosure.
5. Liberty’s was a nightclub on Longlands Road but now hosts more cars than it did in its past life. Signage for Shera Auto is plastered on the main building. After the blight spot hit-list was produced, works were undertaken to repurpose the property for commercial use.
Other businesses have also operated on the site in recent years. It was reported in 2021 that the much-loved former nightclub would be converted into four light industrial units. A council spokesman said planning enforcement have three ongoing enforcement cases to resolve breaches of planning relating to the use, signage and positioning of storage containers.
6. The Marton Hotel and Country Club was a building that many in the town knew well, located on Stokesley Road. In 2019, a ferocious fire ravaged the hotel, and the shell of the building was later demolished.
Plans have now been sitting with Middlesbrough Council’s planning department for a year, with Lidl hoping to build a new store on the site. The planning application is still live, but nearing the “final stages”, according to the council, an outstanding objection is from the Highways Agency.
7. The former Roseberry filling station, on Acklam Road, has been given a new lease of life, opening as a fresh petrol station – operated by EG On The Move – back in early 2025. A Greggs and convenience store feature as part of this site, while separate plans to build a 24/7 coffee shop there were thrown out by the planning authority in autumn of the same year.
A council spokesman said that unauthorised matters related to the site are generally all resolved although concerns remain over early morning deliveries, which the council is looking into.
8. Douglas House, Marton Road will be home to a petrol filling station, along with a shop and a “food to go” offering, after council officers approved plans earlier this year, with applicant EG On The Move already having form in the town.
When plans for the Douglas House site were first submitted, it was hoped that a drive thru coffee shop element would feature. Council papers explain that this part of the proposal has been removed, following an objection being raised by the highway authority.
9. The former Methodist Church Halls in North Ormesby have been repeatedly in the headlines since the start of 2025. Building work at the site was halted back in January 2025, with “relevant checks” to be carried out by the council. In June, residents voiced their anger at the lack of consultation over the ongoing works at the halls.
In October 2025, retrospective works on the halls were refused planning permission by Middlesbrough councillors, but their decision was overturned by the Planning Inspectorate earlier this year. A council spokesman said the issue of metal grilles, added to the building, remains to be considered.
10. The former Quoit Club, on Addington Drive was a working men’s club that played host to acts including Freddie Starr and Russ Abbott. The Pallister Park site was earmarked for housing and plans got conditional approval in 2015, yet today the site is bare, following the social club’s demolition in 2016. It closed its doors for the final time in April 2014.
The council says that the site remains undeveloped, although it has been “tidied” following involvement of the planning enforcement team and action by the site owner to remove self-seeding vegetation.
11. The Crown and Mitre on James Street, in North Ormesby, was an old pub, transformed into “upmarket apartments” in 2021, just a year after appearing on the council’s hit-list.
BONUS: The Market Tavern, also on James Street in North Ormesby, which was accidentally named on the council’s original eyesore list (being confused for the Crown and Mitre). The former pub saw an application submitted for residential conversion in 2025, which could have resulted in 11 apartments, however these plans were withdrawn and now, plans for five flats on the upper floors remain under consideration.
A Middlesbrough Council spokesman said: “Abandoned and derelict buildings can adversely affect a whole area, and all too often attract crime and antisocial behaviour.
“We work constructively with owners and landlords to ensure such properties are safe and secure, and where possible bring them back into use.
“Enforcement is always a last resort, but where necessary we will take action on behalf of the community.”