New home – Middlesbrough Council is set to move to Fountain Court ( right ).
MIDDLESBROUGH NEWS
Exciting plans revealed for three more Centre Square buildings
COUNCIL SET TO SWITCH HQ TO FOUNTAIN COURT
A
decision on Middlesbrough Council ’ s new headquarters will keep the authority in the heart of the town .
The move will see council staff relocate from the crumbling Civic Centre to nearby Fountain Court in Centre Square .
The current office building – attached to the Town Hall and home to many of the council ’ s departments for nearly 50 years – will be sold for refurbishment or demolition , paving the way for new development .
The new home replaces a previous plan to renovate the iconic Centre North East building , which was shelved as the council ’ s focus moved to its Covid-19 response .
The rethink reflects the authority ’ s changing needs , and a growing ability for staff to work from home , reducing the
amount of office space required .
Earlier plans for the council to move into one of Centre Square ’ s flagship Grade A office blocks were halted by Middlesbrough mayor Andy Preston , with the buildings now let to a range of growing businesses .
Firstsource is among the new tenants , vacating Fountain Court , which is now set to replace the Civic Centre as the council ’ s new home .
Increased home working and the council ’ s new Locality Working model also mean the authority now needs less office space than previously .
Refurbishment of Fountain Court will cost up to £ 4m , with staff expecting to start moving there from summer 2022 .
Plans have been unveiled for three new buildings in the rapidlydeveloping Centre Square area of Middlesbrough .
Ashall Projects – the company behind the successful Centre Square office development – put forward new proposals that will “ dramatically transform ” the town centre .
The developers unveiled revised plans for three more office buildings , including one seven storeys high with a floor space of more than 100,000 sq ft .
This is similar to the combined area of the two existing Centre Square buildings . The scheme will also create outdoor meeting areas .
You can view the new plans and leave your comments at centresquare . co . uk / public-consultation /.
GO AHEAD FOR NEXT STAGE OF CENTRE SQUARE
Hydraulic engineering firm secures six-figure investment
HAPPY FAMILY MEMORIES INSPIRE SCHOOL ’ S £ 1M DINING SPACE
Middlesbrough-based specialist hydraulic engineering firm Industrial and Marine Hydraulics ( IMH ) has secured a £ 250,000 loan from NPIF – FW Capital Debt Finance , backed by CBILS and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund .
Founded in 1983 by hydraulic engineer Paul Griffiths , who was awarded an MBE for services to engineering skills and apprenticeships in Teesside , family-run IMH has steadily expanded into a global industry leader .
The business , with Paul ’ s son James Griffiths now in the role of managing director , has completed major projects worldwide , including the design and installation of the Boston Flood Defence Barrier , one of the largest barriers of its kind in the UK .
Memories of happy family mealtimes have inspired a headteacher ’ s vision for a “ stunning ” £ 1m dining space at one of Middlesbrough ’ s biggest schools .
Louise Dwyer said the new dining hall will be a major step forward in her mission to transform the 1,500-pupil Trinity Catholic College and Sixth Form , which stands on a 30-acre site on Ladgate Lane .
Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust , which runs the school , announced the new development as the first phase of a multi-million investment that includes a new sixth form village .
NPCAT recently announced plans to invest half a million pounds in St Peter ’ s Catholic College , South Bank .
The next phase of Centre Square has been given the go-ahead amid news that hundreds of jobs could be coming to the new building .
Members of Middlesbrough Council ’ s planning and development committee unanimously approved plans to build a four-storey 40,000 sq ft Grade A office building – Six Centre Square – on a vacant site in Melrose Street .
It will join the two completed buildings , One and Two Centre Square , where around 1,000 office staff employed by four companies are starting to move in .
Discussions are under way with key stakeholders to arrange the financing required to enable the project to proceed .
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