Hebburn Central forms the initial phase of an extensive redevelopment of Hebburn Town Centre, South Shields, which lies approximately ten miles south of Newcastle city centre.

Situated on the south bank of the River Tyne, the area has a rich industrial past rooted in ship building. As part of recent reinvestment in the area - including offshore wind turbine manufacture and Seimens specialist fabrications – the gradual re-evaluation of the urban area has allowed a new phase of urban redevelopment to progress.

FaulknerBrowns were commissioned to carry out a new town centre master plan study that would not only address the immediate siting and needs of Hebburn Central, but also the wider master plan integration of housing and retail within the changing town centre itself.

Hebburn Central was completed in August 2015 and contains a range of leisure elements including a 6 lane 25m community pool, flexible learning pool with floating floor, 60 station fitness suite, dance studios and 4 court sports hall, plus external 3G pitch. In addition to the leisure elements, the building fuses administrative municipal customer service facilities, office space, community meeting and events rooms which are integrated into a centralised public library and media space, all of which visually interlink and efficiently overlap in shared support systems. Together with the new Hebburn Central building at its heart, the wider urban design solution aims to generate a much more connected town centre with a vibrant community focus at its heart.

At the Civic Trust Awards 2016 Hebburn Central was awarded two accolades including the Special Award for Community Impact and Engagement a national award which recognises, “an exemplar project that has demonstrated how successful community engagement can help deliver the highest standards of design whilst meeting the needs of local people”.