Hartlepool Borough Council is delighted to announce that the town’s new multi‑million‑pound Highlight Active Wellbeing Hub will open on Wednesday 10th June 2026.
From that day, residents and visitors will be able to enjoy a range of state-of-the-art facilities and services housed within the iconic new building on The Waterfront, marking a major milestone in the transformation of Hartlepool’s leisure and wellbeing offer.
Construction of Highlight began in early 2024, and it is the first project to be completed as part of the Council’s ambitious £160 million capital regeneration programme, which is reshaping key areas of the town for future generations.
Councillor Pamela Hargreaves, Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “Highlight is a major investment in the future health and wellbeing of our community. It represents the very best of what we set out to achieve through our regeneration programme — modern, high‑quality facilities that will benefit residents of all ages for many years to come.
“We know how important accessible, welcoming and modern leisure facilities are to our residents. Highlight delivers exactly that, and we are incredibly excited to be about to open the doors and share everything this fantastic building has to offer.”
Highlight will replace Mill House Leisure Centre, which first opened in 1972 and has proudly served the community for more than five decades. Mill House will close at 8.45pm on Thursday 30th April, enabling staff to transfer to the new facility and complete essential training and commissioning work ahead of the June launch of Highlight.
The Council has apologised for any inconvenience caused by the transition period and thanked current customers for their ongoing support and patience.
To ensure continuity of services for residents during this period, the Council’s Active Hartlepool Service is extending the opening hours of the Headland Sports Centre from 2nd May. The new opening hours will be Monday-Friday, 7am-9pm and Saturday/Sunday, 8am-3pm.