Victoria Harbour is a massive project for Hartlepool, if not the entire region and country. The large piece of unused land owned by PD Ports in the centre of Hartlepool can provide a once in a generation opportunity to transform and regenerate this area, using its striking sea views to bring in investment and job opportunities whilst creating a community of homes, businesses, shops and other facilities. There is the possibility of billions of pounds of investment in Victoria Harbour over the next few decades.

Just down Middleton Road from the Victoria Harbour development is the work going on to transform the centre of Hartlepool, in the area off Hart Lane, and Raby Road. We in the town received some of the £1 billion investment in housing market renewal from the Government in the last few years. I now have responsibility for housing market renewal and was able to find £1 billion to fund the programme for a further three years. The Trinity Square development is already a huge success and the additional investment will give another boost to the centre of Hartlepool.

I mention these two things because housing and regeneration are important to Hartlepool. As I was steering the Housing and Regeneration Bill through Parliament, throughout my work in the back of my mind was how the Bill could help Hartlepool with its challenges of increasing the numbers of houses as well as building on the success of regenerating much of the town. I don’t agree with the notion from a Conservative Party think tank a couple of months ago that we should stop regenerating the north and all move down south – it’s vital that continued investment comes to Hartlepool and other northern areas.

A key part of the Bill was the creation of the Homes and Communities Agency, a new body which will be charged with providing financial assistance and other support to local councils, housing associations and others to increase the numbers of housing, as well as regenerating communities in England. The Agency’s financial clout will be massive, with its budget being something like £8.4 billion.

The Agency’s first boss is Sir Bob Kerslake. He was chief executive of Sheffield City Council, and is very well respected throughout government and by a great many people. I invited Sir Bob up to Hartlepool, where he hadn’t been before, and despite his very busy schedule ensuring that the Agency is up and running he was able to spend a couple of hours in the town. I was grateful to the Council, Tees Valley Regeneration, One NorthEast, English Partnerships, Tees Valley Unlimited and Housing Hartlepool for helping with the tour. Tees Valley Regeneration provided a helicopter so Sir Bob could see a bird’s eye view of the town. Flying over Victoria Harbour it was striking how central this area is. Equally, you could see the progress being made off Chester Road and Hart Lane with the new development funded by housing market renewal. As Sir Bob said, the two things need to be linked up as much as possible, so that Victoria Harbour does not turn its back on the rest of the town, but is the catalyst that can help transform the whole of Hartlepool.

I was pleased that Sir Bob was able to visit. I think it is important, given the financial budget that the Homes and Community Agency will have, to ensure that Hartlepool is known by its leaders, because that should help us make the case more convincingly for additional investment. There has been real success in regeneration but more still to do. I am determined to bring relevant people to the town which will help provide the finance to continue the regeneration of Hartlepool.