Pricing & demandA retail park and a challenge from the shopping centre
The Hartlepool Mail (undated, it refers to construction expected in 2020) reported that a £16m retail park scheme by Quora (Peterlee) Ltd on a 2.56-hectare former college site on Burnhope Way would house Lidl and Home Bargains, which would not renew their leases at their current premises, and was expected to create up to 120 jobs. Praxis, which owns the Castle Dene shopping centre, was appealing the council’s approval, having had one earlier attempt rejected, and warned of a “devastating impact” on the town centre, while Asda and Wilko also raised concerns. £16m over 120 jobs is about £133,000 a job by our arithmetic, but the money builds a park. The article gives no outcome and we haven’t checked what was built.
What would you need to know to judge whether a new retail park takes sales from a town centre or adds to them? Practise this in AO2 Application.
Interpreting numbersA £4m guide price and £1.2m of income
Place North East reported on 28 January 2026 that Castle Dene Shopping Centre in Peterlee would be sold at auction on 11 February with a guide price of £4m and gross annual income of £1.2m, from 235,000 sq ft with a 779-space car park and tenants including Iceland, B&M, Boots, New Look and Argos. £1.2m is 30% of the £4m by our arithmetic, and £4m over 235,000 sq ft is about £17 a sq ft. The auctioneer said there was scope for improvement and suggested uses including community space or new homes. The article doesn’t give occupancy, costs or the sale price, and we haven’t checked whether it sold.
Why does gross income of 30% of a guide price tell you little without occupancy and costs? Step by step in AO3 Analysis.
Strategy & stakeholders£400,000 to restore a pavilion
Attractions Management reported on 13 January 2009 that a £400,000 restoration of the Apollo Pavilion in Peterlee was about to begin, funded with £65,000 from District of Easington Council and £336,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, together £401,000 by our arithmetic so one figure is rounded, with the lottery share about 84% by our arithmetic. The work was to replace a staircase that had been vandalised, restore two murals, add lighting, re-cobble the park and drain the lake to add reed beds. The article doesn’t say who owns or runs the pavilion or give visitor numbers, and it is more than seventeen years old. We haven’t checked its condition now.
Should a council help fund the restoration of an arts pavilion, and who gains or loses? A real judgement for AO4 Evaluation.
Peterlee’s economy in the classroom
citypopulation.de’s table of North East England built-up areas gives 19,743 for Peterlee (2021 census). A retail park fought by a shopping centre, a shopping centre sold at auction and a restored pavilion give students real contexts for demand, interpreting figures and judging who gains from a public project. We tie these themes to topics on the specification.
Sources: citypopulation.de, North East England built-up areas (2021 census); Hartlepool Mail (undated); Place North East, 28 January 2026; Attractions Management, 13 January 2009. The £133,000, 30%, £17, £401,000 and 84% figures are our arithmetic. The retail park article is undated, the pavilion article is more than seventeen years old, the auction article gives no sale price, and we haven’t checked outcomes.
