52 Changing | Tees skyline Business: Artist’ s impressions( below
and inset) of how the Middlesbrough snow centre could look.
THERE’ S NO BUSINESS LIKE SNOW BUSINESS
Dave Allan talks to Middlesbrough Council chiefs about the sensational plans to attract millions of leisure visitors to the area via a snow centre
Ambitious plans to create an iconic £ 30 million snow centre at Middlehaven will transform Middlesbrough into a major visitor attraction. The scheme has already been granted outline planning permission and work is now going on behind the scenes on the project’ s finer details.
Cool Runnings( NE) – the Teesside company behind the scheme – is targeting September 2019 for the snow centre to be open for business … and lots of leisure.
And with projected visitors of 2.25 million a year to the centre, success-focused Middlesbrough Council chiefs say the aspirational scheme will drive a blizzard of further investments as more exciting leisure operators look to locate around the central attraction.
Tony Parkinson, Middlesbrough Council’ s interim chief executive, says the snow centre will transform the national profile and public perception of the town, making it a go-to destination for hundreds of thousands of leisure-seekers who will travel to Teesside from across the north of England and beyond.
“ There is no question the snow centre has the potential to transform the town,” says Parkinson.“ It will create a go-to destination.
“ It’ s hard to get your head around projected visitors of 2.25m a year, but this isn’ t our guesswork – those figures are from independent professionals who have studied the impact of other snow centres across the UK and Europe.”
The council is working hand-in-hand with Cool Runnings to help deliver a crucial part of the local authority’ s dramatic plans to transform Middlesbrough by 2020 via investments totalling £ 700m- £ 74m of which will come from the council itself.
Through Middlesbrough’ s Investment Prospectus, they are looking to create 5,000 new jobs in the town through a series of exciting developments including Grade A town centre office space, a 450-bed student village, a media and innovation village and 5,500 new homes.
Although the council is not directly investing in the snow centre, it is working in partnership with Cool Runnings to maximise the opportunities that automatically follow such a transformational scheme.
Central to that is a new three-lane bridge at Middlehaven Dock and new access road, with work due to get underway by July for completion in around 18 months. Both are key elements of nearly £ 10m of infrastructure
“ There is no question the snow centre has the potential to transform the town... it will create a go-to destination.”
investment that will open up the entire Middlehaven zone for further developments around the snow centre by making the whole area more accessible.
The road and bridge will link the A66 at North Ormesby with Middlehaven via Shepherdson Way alongside the Riverside Stadium, across the dock to the Temenos sculpture and along to Vulcan Street, close to the Transporter Bridge, eventually emerging at Newport interchange.
The plans will not only boost existing Middlehaven enterprises but play a vital role in supporting the snow centre proposals and other potential spin-off developments.
There are plans for an indoor skydiving hub within a leg of the snow centre, whilst the list of potential spin-off leisure activities to entertain visitors from far and wide includes an ice climbing wall, trampoline park, six restaurants and four retail outlets focused on the outdoor pursuits market.
Kevin Parkes, Middlesbrough Council’ s executive director of growth and place, explains:“ The dock bridge and what will be a major through road will naturally provide access to the snow centre but they will also open up the whole Middlehaven area.
“ The Council owns another 60 acres of land in that area. This improved access will make Middlehaven an even more attractive investment prospect for those wishing to piggyback on the snow centre development.”
Parkinson adds:“ You can’ t overestimate the importance of the road configuration. The snow centre will transform the town, but the new road system gives us a chance to transform the whole area.
“ The important point is that the development won’ t just be the snow centre, as exciting as that is in its own right. We expect there to be a number of leisure activities there.
“ Around the Snow Dome at Castleford are high ropes, Quasar, a ten-pin bowling centre, trampoline park and cinema. The snow experience might only take up an hour-and-ahalf of a family’ s visit but they’ ll actually stay all day – and many will stay overnight too.“ With so many visitors from an area covering Berwick to York, the snow centre will automatically trigger demand for a new hotel in the immediate area, which will then drive further food, beverage and leisure facilities, whilst we’ re also planning housing developments over there, too.
“ Nowadays people meet up with friends