32 | Tees Business
FOOD
FOR THOUGHT
On a plate – Middlesbrough deputy mayor and executive
member for city centre strategy Charlie Rooney (left) and the
council’s executive director of growth and place Kevin Parkes
(right) with The Curing House owner Peter Walker.
Newcomers keep Boro’s food
and leisure scene buzzing
T
here’s a real buzz across central
Middlesbrough as new businesses play
a key role in a thriving resurgence.
They’re queuing up to join a vibrant food
and leisure scene that’s bucking regional and
national trends and drawing glowing reviews
from far and wide.
The seeds of the renaissance have
been sown over a number of years, with
pioneering initiatives such as the Corner
Emporium helping fledgling start-ups find
their feet.
The new breed of independent
entrepreneurs – with expert support and
guidance from Middlesbrough Council’s
Business Development Team – gravitated
towards refurbished units in Baker Street
and Bedford Street, now home to the hugely
successful Orange Pip Market.
This spring’s launch of the town’s
Investment Strategy sought to build on the
successes of recent years, with plans for
more than £700m of inward investment to
cement Middlesbrough’s place as the city
heart of the Tees Valley.
Kevin Parkes, Middlesbrough Council’s
executive director of growth and place,
explains: “None of this has happened by
accident – our strategy from the outset has
been to make Middlesbrough the place to do
business, and a great destination for work,
retail and leisure.
Bedford Street – now home to a
number of exciting new restaurants,
bars and coffee shops.
“The results of that ‘can do’ approach can
be seen right across the town centre, with a
stream of new investment constantly adding
to and enhancing a vibrant, cosmopolitan
offer.
“The impact on the local economy is huge,
and for local people there are the sort of job
opportunities that can be truly life-changing.”
Among the latest arrivals – creating around
50 of those new jobs - is Bistrot Pierre,
bringing a touch of Gallic flair to the key
Albert Road area near the Town Hall and
Centre Square.
Just around the corner from the newly
opened Turtle Bay Caribbean restaurant and
soon-to-launch designer outlet Flannels, the
Bistrot has benefited from important council
support.
In addition to helping with recruitment, the
authority has undertaken a major £650,000
programme of street level improvement
works to enhance Albert Road and Centre
Square’s appeal as a leisure destination.
The new restaurants and extension to
the thriving Holiday Inn Express represent
investment of more than £4m, and the
creation of nearly 100 jobs.
They join a plethora of micropubs,